


Limbo

by Kiloueka



Series: Limbo [2]
Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Clones, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I'll make sure it's skippable so people who aren't into it can still fully enjoy it, Multi, Redemption, There will be smut in this as well, but like my other series, feral androids, redemption arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-03-30 13:27:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 39,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13952550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiloueka/pseuds/Kiloueka
Summary: 2B wakes up in a strange world after her death at the hands of A2. All the 9S that have died by her blade are there and almost all of them greet her with a warm welcome. Almost all... The story will follow 2B and her interactions with her Nines, as she helps them all heal from everything they've gone through, and as they help her deal with the ghosts of her past.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Wailing and Gnas[H]ing of Teeth](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12265770) by [MeetTheTank](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeetTheTank/pseuds/MeetTheTank). 



> Holy shit yall IT'S FINALLY DONE!!! IT'S READY!!!
> 
> This series is a continuation-ish of MeetTheTank's [Flesh and Me[T]al](https://archiveofourown.org/series/785577) series so I would highly suggest you read that too (at least read Wailing and Gnas[H]ing of Teeth, because reasons)
> 
> (There is smut in chapter 3, but if you’re not into that I still do advise reading the first half of it and just stop at the part where 9S says this: [[Link to avoid spoilers]](https://pastebin.com/5Z1QB7tK) as there is a lot of important dialogue that leads up to the actual smut).
> 
> I’m like super excited to finally be posting this because I’ve been working hard on brainstorming this thing over the past few months.

_Where is he?_

_He's down here!_

_Oh god just look at him!_

_What the hell do we do about him?_

_There's no way I'm going down there._

_Maybe it'll be different here._

_Who cares? You saw what he did!_

_He wasn't in his right mind!_

_He knew what he was doing._

_Hold on, he's waking up!_

_Wait, something's not right!_

_Shit! No!_

_Everyone back! He's still_ _*̞̝̪̦̺͓̻ͣ̈́ͯ͆ͤ̆͠ͅ*̍̈́ͤ́ͩ͜͏͎͍̼*̶̝̹͚̣̖̣̩̦̯̿͟͟*̏́̓̅͊͏̛̼̗͈͍̺̼͔*̘̜͉͕͛̓ͭ̈́!͇̱̱̞̥͆ͦ_

* * *

“Oh... Nines...”

A wide, white sword penetrates 2B's stomach as delicate, red blood drips down her.

_He's ok._

Her vital signs begin to fade.

_I'm so... I'm so glad...but..._

Heart rate decreasing.

_I never got... to say... good...bye_

Body temperature declining.

_No... not yet..._

Motor functions failing.

 _I have to..._ _I... I..._

Pupils dilating.

... _No... it's... ok..._

As every one of her parameters break down and her world faces to black, her final thought flickers weakly in her mind.

... _You're free now... Be safe._

* * *

“...B”

A dull ache weaved its way through 2B's entire body as her systems slowly came back online. The single pain was quickly replaced by waves of conflicting sensations and it took all of her limited energy just to stay on top of it.

“...2B...”

...2B... YoRHa Model 2 type B. That was... her name... but... B? ...No... that wasn't right. She was...

“2B!”

The voice kept calling but the growing sensations in her body drowned out any attempts to recognize it. Cold. Hot. Cold. Pain. Pain. Dull. Sharp. Heavy. Falling. Loud. Noise. Static. No. Stop. Can't. Move. No. No. Help. Help. _Help!_

Her thought processes were a jumbled mess as her mind struggled to orient herself. She wanted to move, to scream and run her sword through whatever was causing this, but she couldn't even manage so much as a pained groan or a twitch of a finger.

“2B! 2B wake up!”

A warm, soft hand tenderly molded itself against her cheek and soon after, trembling fingers wrapped around her hand and held tight. Instantly, a wave of serenity washed over her body, reducing the overwhelming feelings significantly as a warm, almost tingling sensation radiated outward from where they connected.

“2B please wake up.”

That voice... she could finally begin to hone her perceptions on the one calling to her... at least a little bit.

“...Please...”

It was so familiar... so... calming. Despite its mounting desperation, she felt the crushing static begin to subside. Bit by bit, she dragged herself out of the suffocating void in her mind. With what little energy she could muster, she forced out a response.

“Ngh...”

The owner of the voice let out a sharp gasp and squeezed her hand with trembling fingers.

“Yes! 2B! I'm here, it's ok. Just follow my voice. I'm here. Wake up, please.”

The name that belonged to the mysterious, soothing voice still escaped her, but every fiber of her being that wasn't still overrun by static and pain knew it was a voice of someone precious to her.

With another burst of energy, she forced her eyes open.

There he was, leaning over her, face just inches from hers, close enough that she could feel his warm breath on her skin. His pure white hair hung forward, framing his worried, tear-stained face in a sort of angelic glow.

Behind him, a thick canopy of leaves attached to ancient, towering trees shielded them from the harsh midday sun; the dappled light that filtered through was the source of the soft, glowing aura around him. A strained smile spread across his lips the moment their gazes met and the faint trembling that was plaguing his body quieted down to a shimmer.

Ahh... that's who it belonged to.

“N-nine...s.”

“Oh thank god.” He breathed. A cool puff of air blew across 2B's cheek as he removed his hand to shakily wipe away the tears that were threatening to fall from his deep blue eyes. Before she could react further, he pulled her into his arms in a tender embrace, weaving his fingers through her hair and burying his face into the crook of her neck.

“I was so scared.” He rasped, barely above a whisper. “You were taking so long to wake up I was worried you would never...” He cut himself off with a sharp gasp and pressed his face deeper into her neck. “2B... I'm so glad...”

“Mmm...” She mumbled as she fought to recall the events of the past few hours. They were all surrounded by a thick, dark fog but soon enough, flashes of clarity and light began filling in the missing pieces of the puzzle.

The desperate battle with Eve. The following assault on the surviving machines. The collapse of the Bunker. The virus that tore at her systems bit-by-bit. Her final, desperate attempts to protect 9S from herself. The deserter known as A2. Her last wish granted by the one that owed her nothing. The sharp pain that tore through her gut as her own sword pierced her body. Seeing her love one last time before the darkness swallowed her whole.

But... She's alive? Had 9S...? But how?

“Nines.” She murmured as she reciprocated his embrace with a light touch on his back. “Did you... save me?”

A noticeable shock ran through his body as he clenched his teeth and gripped her even tighter. He didn't respond for a moment, preferring to hold her close and slowly rock her back and forth.

“2B I...” He choked. “I'm... I'm not the same Nines you've been with for the past three-and-a-half months. I'm...” He pulled back from their embrace and looked deeply into her eyes.

It was only then that she noticed a slight difference in his eye color, and in the dappled lighting of the thick forest that surrounded them, she might not have even noticed it at all if on her own. The deep blue of his eyes was tinted ever-so-faintly with green and almost shimmered in the reflected light of the forest. Just like...

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply before slowly undoing the buttons on his unfamiliar black shirt. 2B stared in horror as the shirt fell away bit-by-bit to reveal a long, red, scar running cleanly from the top of his right shoulder all the way down to the top of his left leg, where it disappeared below his waistband.

2B could only manage to stare at the sealed gash in shock as the realization of who she was talking to began to cement in her mind. 9S shifted slightly in his seat as he waited just a few seconds longer for 2B to take in the sight before quickly covering himself back up. Her eyes followed his hands as he fumbled with the buttons until his scar was completely covered. Her gaze continued upward, wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape until she met his worried eyes once more.

“My name is 9S.” He began, voice leaking out a fragile sort of strength that could shatter at any moment. “On March 8th, 11945, I was killed in battle with the machines in a raid in the Kingdom of Night. I took a blow meant for you... because I knew that Command had just ordered you to... terminate me at the end of that mission... so...” The temporary strength in his voice began to crack as he slowly broke down again. “...I wanted to... ease your burden as much as I could so I... jumped in front of that final machine's blade even though I knew you would have dodged it.”

2B's wide eyes bored into him as he spoke. Every question he answered only raised a hundred new ones. Ones that she couldn't even formulate the words to ask in that moment.

“I'm not the 9S that saw you die on that bridge.” He continued, solemnly. “But... I'm still a 9S you worked and bonded with... I'm still _your_ Nines...”

“My... Nines...” She stuttered. “You're... alive...? But... how did... why are you... wait... If you're that Nines then...” Panic grew in her chest her mind wrapped itself around this new information. “Wh-where is he? The one that I was with? Is he ok?! He didn't fight A2 did he? He saw... he saw her... oh god, did she tell him? Did he—”

"It's ok. It's ok, 2B." He softly assured her, doing his best to retain as calm of an aura as he could in that situation. "He's unconscious but alive. The bridge collapsed before he reached you and he fell. But he's safe where he is and his pod is sending distress signals out as we speak so he'll be ok. I promise."

“H-how do you know?”

“Nearby there's a... holo-screen of some sorts that lets me see what goes on outside this place. I've been... watching over you since I arrived here and I've been doing everything I could to try to contact you. I just... wanted to let you know that I was ok... but I never could find any answers.”

“But...” She stuttered. “I don't understand... I don't understand any of this... What is _this place_? Where did... how did... any of this... your scar... it... ughh...” She doubled over as the thousand fluttering questions made her head spin and stomach turn.

“2B I'm sorry.” He sighed, pulling her back into him. “I didn't want to overwhelm you right after getting here. I was... hoping you'd wait a bit longer before asking me anything but...” He pressed his palm to his forehead and shook his head lightly. “...Hhhahhah... 2B we... we have a lot of catching up to do... don't we? Come on, let's go home. I'll tell you everything you need to know when we get there.”

* * *

 

The two set off from that strange forest clearing not long after 2B had regained enough strength to stand. 9S had insisted on carrying her despite her protests and assurance that she could walk herself. She quickly changed her mind, however, after another warm hug from her partner nearly turned her legs to jelly.

9S swept her off her feet with more ease than any of the 9S models she's known before. Was this another strange effect of this place? Now that she thought about it, her body did feel lighter than before.

He did his best to explain the strange phenomena to her as they clung tightly to each other on the way to their destination; the black, starless sky and the way the thick forest was illuminated as if it were in the midday sun was incredibly disorienting to 2B.

“It's night... but it's also... day?” She had said; 9S couldn't hold back a soft chuckle in response to her understandable confusion. His soft gaze followed her eyes as they flicked from place to place in childlike wonder.

Everything they passed seemed so familiar to her, yet so alien, painted against the inky black sky above. The trees, the rivers, the ancient, mossy bricks; they all filled her with a sense of nostalgia and she could swear she saw _that exact tree_ or _that specific wall_ before _somewhere_.

She didn't bring it up, however, although she suspected he knew she would ask sooner or later, judging by the looks he gave her at each flash of recognition that crossed her eyes. 2B decided she could wait for _some_ answers back at the safety of... wherever 9S was taking her.

The moment they reached the edge of the trees and its abrupt transition into the city ruins, 2B nearly jolted out of his arms in shock. 9S gasped and struggled to keep his footing as 2B's head whipped back and forth between the clear-cut borders of the landscapes.

“What the hell?” 2B blurted out as her eyes traveled up a dying tree vertically cut clean in two and back down the adjacent building also cleanly sliced through. They continued on, tracing the hard line in the dirt that separated the two landscapes until it disappeared behind the buildings.

“That's... another thing I can only sort of answer.” 9S admitted once he regained his balance. “It's just... this whole place is made up of a patchwork of different places from the outside world. Over a dozen, actually. They're just kinda... sloppily pressed together like this. It's... something you get used to... like every weird thing about this place I guess.”

“The outside world?” She asked. “So these are real places then? Is that why everything seems so familiar?”

“Yeah. You've been to that forest before, and this city. Come on, you'll see in a bit.” He continued on, forcing his way through the thick underbrush until they rounded the corner of an exceptionally tall building.

2B's eyes widened as recognition flashed in her mind. Before them lay an exact copy of a Resistance satellite camp she and 9S... another 9S... had worked at several years ago.

It was vaguely similar to, but quite a lot smaller than, the most recent camp they were stationed at. A dozen or so white tents littered the courtyard sheltered by a circling of dilapidated buildings, Each one was filled with a mess of different tools and devices all meant for warfare. Even the pair of cots the two were awarded after preventing a machine raid were there, barely tucked away between two buildings behind a scrap metal door.

A mound of grass and flowers sat in the dappling of sunlight that filtered through to the center of the camp. There were poppies and daisies, and... some small purple ones with yellow on them and... some little blue ones she _knew_ 6O had told her about at some point in time. She never really had the chance to admire their beauty before... but now, even at this distance, the delicate living rainbow had an almost soothing feeling. The striking contrast between them and their surroundings amazed her; how could such fragile life still grow surrounded by tools of death and destruction?

The whole area was just like she remembered... but...

...It was completely empty. There were no androids, no machines, not a trace of any activity. And now that she thought about it, the entire area had been eerily quiet since she arrived. No sounds of gunfire, or clashing metal, or warfare. No wind whistling through the trees or the skyscrapers. Only the occasional distant bird call cut through the deafening silence, but even that seemed warped and unnatural.

“Remember this?” 9S smiled.

“Y-yeah. But where is everyone? It's usually crawling with Resistance members.”

“I don't know really.” He sighed. “They just never appeared here, androids, or machines... It's good not having to fight every day, but it gets lonely only having yourself to talk to for so long... Anyway, let's move on, we're almost home, and I bet you need some rest.”

9S seemed in a hurry to move along, so 2B didn't push for any more answers in that moment; she simply gave one last glance over their shoulders as they disappeared into the ruins. 9S wasn't exaggerating when he said they were almost there; not two more minutes later, they passed another abrupt transition into a densely-wooded area. Just like before, the shorter, oaken trees filled her with a sense of nostalgia, and it wasn't long before she had a few ideas of where “home” might be.

Her suspicions were soon confirmed as a small, hastily-built shack appeared beyond the trees; it _was_ another encampment that she had stayed at with another 9S. It was the same mess of half-a-dozen scattered barracks, the same flower-filled pots made of machine parts bordering some of the shacks, the same small clearing half circling them. Only...

What the hell was that black rectangle in the center of the clearing?

"This is..." She breathed as he finally set her down near the edge.

“Yeah.” 9S nodded. “The place you met me... or him for the first time.”

“And you've been using this as your base?”

“Mhm. The holo-screen over there is what's allowed me to see out of here. And like I said before... I've been watching over you and the more recent 9S you've been partnered with since I got here.”

“Wait... you can see 9S on this thing?” She gasped. “S-show me! I need to see him!”

“Wait a second, 2B! I... well... the screen went black shortly after he passed out...” He admitted. “That happens sometimes... it just stops working for a while after you die... It could be an hour or it could be a few days... It's pretty random... and it might be a few weeks before the Resistance is able to repair him since... well... YoRHa's gone and all." He glanced over at her and frowned as he caught sight of her grim expression.

“He'll be ok. I promise.” He assured. “Just, for now. Let's focus on getting you acclimated to this place. Ok?”

"Y-yeah..." She stuttered. "Ok." Despite his reassurance and the hasty change of subject, there was no way she could completely peel her mind away from her partner and how he lay broken and half dead at the murky bottom of the ravine. Who knows how long it'd take someone to find him. Who knows how long it'd take them to repair him. Who knows how well he'd be able to handle life without her. Who knows...

“2B?”

“Huh?” Her mind focused back on the present and the 9S standing right next to her. “Oh... right... So... this screen... you can watch anyone on it?”

“Well, just you and whatever 9S is alive at that time. We haven't been able to control it yet...”

“Oh.”

“But yeah, like I said. I've been here this entire time, watching over you and trying to contact you.”

“The entire time? Even...”

“Mhm... wait...” He gasped. “Oh, no no no, not every single moment! D-d-don't worry!” He coughed stiffly. “I gave you some privacy when you two... well... I knew it wasn't my place since the two of _us_ never actually... anyway...” He shifted his body slightly away in an attempt to hide his reddening face.

“I know the whole thing sounds kinda weird and I really hope that it doesn't make you uncomfortable or anything but like, I was... I couldn't not stay here and watch or try to reach out to you and help but you were going through so much and it just hurt so much to be stuck here powerless to help you and—”

“Nines.” 2B hummed softly as she took his hand in hers and weaved their fingers together.

“Y-yeah?” Slowly his head turned back to look at her and her soft smile.

“It's ok.”

“Really?”

“Mhm... Plus, it's only fair really. Because well... what I've done.”

"2B..." His voice dimmed and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Don't... well... here, come, I have something to show you." He tugged on her hand and led her to the nearest shack, which was by far the most decorated of them all. The entire structure was surrounded by more types of flowers than she had ever seen before. Countless boot-prints packed the dirt down leading up to the entrance, more than a single person should theoretically be capable of since their separation, unless...

2B attention was caught by the glint of numerous swords leaning precariously against the door. Her eyes widened as she came to the realization that, at one point, each and every one of them had belonged to 9S... or at least one version of him. She remembered all of their names, and which 9S fought with them in battle… and... which one 9S ended up using against her... or himself.

“Welcome home, 2B.” He said as he pulled the rusty door open. The squeak of the ancient hinges snapped her back to reality and pulled her gaze inside. A large hoard of pillows and mattresses covered almost every inch of the room with a spectrum of blankets messily draped over some of them, or balled up in various corners. The half-dozen or so desks pressed up against the opposite walls were buried in mounds of books, gadgets, and the occasional stray article of clothing.

“This is... the one we stayed in but.” She turned to him with a questioning look.

“Yeaaah... it's been upgraded a bit.” 9S chuckled softly. “No more scratchy cots, only comfort and relaxation in here.” He squeezed her hand again, tugging her inside and gestured at a particularly inviting mattress buried knee deep in pillows. She gladly accepted the invitation and nestled herself into the soft pile, pulling him down with her until he was almost completely buried. "I was hping to get it neatened up a bit before you came but..."

The cocoon of bedding surrounding her brought back flashes of memories from not one month's past. A gentle reminder of how much he cared about her and... loved her despite...

No... no... she didn't want to think about that right now. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned back to 9S, face just barely visible above the pillows.

“2B?” He asked, voice low and gentle. “Are you ok? I mean...”

“Y-yeah, I was just thinking... It's fine.” She squeezed his hand and was instantly reciprocated. “This room is just... It's wonderful.”

“You really think so?” He smiled, perking up a bit.

“Mhm... Thank you.”

“2B.” He breathed, voice wavering slightly. “I'm so glad you're here... I mean... I never wanted to see that happen to you... I never wanted to see any of that happen to you, but... I missed you so much. And...”

A warm feeling gently ignited in her chest and slowly radiated outward. “Despite everything I've done to hurt you?”

“2B, no.” He squeezed her hand again. “You never hurt me. YoRHa did. You know that.”

“I...” Bits of static flashed through the warmth as dark thoughts began leaking in. “I know but...”

Before she could continue, 9S shimmied his way between the pillows separating them and snaked his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. A wave of calm flowed through her as the warmth of his body began flowing into her. She marveled at how much of an effect his touch had on her as her breathing evened out and the tension began flowing from her synthetic muscles.

“Hahhah...” She breathed. “You really did miss me, didn't you?”

“Yeah.”

“And... there's really no machines here anywhere? We don't have to fight and die anymore?”

“No. We're safe.”

“And this... everything here... is real?”

“Well... depends on what you consider _real,_ I guess.” He mumbled, voice low and soft. “But... yeah... it's as real as it's gonna get, and for now, that's ok with me.”

“Nines?” 2B let out a pent-up sigh and nestled in even closer to him.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For... everything...”

“Hhahah...” He breathed. “I should be the one thanking you. You gave my life meaning in that endless war. Even though I was never designed to be on this earth for very long, I'm glad I got to spend what little time I had with you.”

“Me too.”

The two androids held each other for what felt like an eternity. 2B didn't even know it was possible for her to feel that safe despite being so uncertain and confused about almost every single thing he told her about this strange place. He just felt so  _right_ in her arms.

She buried her face in his chest as he began stroking her hair as her exhaustion began catching up to her. All she wanted at that moment was to fall asleep in the comfort of his arms and stay asleep for the next two days but... she couldn't just yet; she still had so many questions that needed answers.

Like where did this place even come from? How did he get here? How did _she_ get here? Why was it just him and not and not any of the other 9S she bonded with... unless...

She pried her eyes back open and hazily scanned the room again. Something didn't quite add up. Why were there so many beds? So many swords? So many desks, and chairs, and footprints? Why would one person need to have and use multiple people's things like that?

“Hey... Nines?” She mumbled.

“Hm?”

“You've... never been to that city we passed through, or this encampment... so how did you know they were places we've been together? And where did this place,” she gestured at the surrounding area, “this entire place even come from if you had no hand in creating it? And... how come this room is filled with so many mattresses and pillows and desks? And the swords out front, they all belonged to you... or... them... at some point... and...”

9S waited patiently as her voice trailed off and her mind began answering her own questions.

“Nines?”

“Yeah, 2B?”

“You're not the only one here, are you?” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending a little more quality time with the 9S that greeted her, 2B is now ready to meet the others.

_She... she's gone..._

_This is... really the end..._

_2B I'm... we're... so sorry..._

_…_

_…_

_..._

_We can't keep sitting here, we have to find her!_

_Wait! We can't just all greet her all at once! There's too many of us!_

_But..._

_I want to..._

_We all do!_

_This isn't about us!_

_Yeah, but who's gonna be the one?_

_Me! Because I'm the first!_

_Me! Because I was with her the longest!_

_Me! Because I was the first one to give my life for her!_

_Me! Because we... you know—_

_You're not the only one who did though!_

_Wait... there's only ten of us here...who's missing?_

_Did someone fucking..._

 

* * *

 

“Yeah,” 9S smiled, “there's more of me here... a lot more, actually, and we've all been dying to see you.”

“Wait... _dying_?” 2B gasped.

"Shit, wait, no! N-not actual dying!” He stuttered, face reddening once again. “It was an old human phrase to mean really excited. Shit. Fuck. I'm sorry 2B." The boy quickly buried his face into the pillows and let out an awkward whine.

2B couldn't hold back a small smile after the initial twang of shock wore off. He really was adorable when embarrassed. How his ears quickly grew red despite trying to hide them. How he would get so flustered over small mistakes like this. How simply placing her hand on his back was enough to reassure him and get him to look at her again. He really _was_ 9S. But...

Were the others... too...?

“So...” She murmured. “The others... are they nearby?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “We didn't want to overwhelm you right after waking up so we decided that one of us would be there to greet you and everyone else would come later.”

“Oh.”

9S shifted in his seat a bit. “'Oh?' Did we... was that a bad idea?”

“No, you're probably right.” She squeezed his back lightly. “Just this has been... but... you're... there's really more of you?”

“Mhm.” He nodded.

“And... do they all have...” She reached out timidly and brushed her fingertips along his long scar that just barely poked above his shirt collar. She flinched as she regretfully recalled the many 9S she had killed in more brutal ways than a simple slash across the chest.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “But it's ok! They don't hurt anymore, I promise!”

 _Any...more?_ 2B opened her mouth to speak but it seemed 9S was already anticipating that question. “I-I mean, 'anymore' as in: they were a bit sore at first but the pain went away pretty quickly! It wasn't bad at all, I promise!” He paused for a moment, eyes dimming and voice lowering

“Just like...” He pushed some pillows away to expose the tear in her tattered uniform. He held his hand to her torn shirt and delicately ran his fingers along the frayed fabric. “It doesn't hurt anymore, does it?”

2B glanced down at his hand. Now that she thought about it, the head-spinning past few hours quickly pushed the residual soreness she woke up with all the way to the back-burner.

“No,” she murmured. “It... it's fine.”

9S let out a relieved sigh. “I'm glad.” He withdrew his hand and brought it cautiously up to her face; his fingertips trembled as they hovered by her chin and a small nod from her gave him the permission he needed to gingerly stroke her jawline.

“We were worried.” He murmured as he delicately traced the thin scars that served as harsh reminders of her past mistakes. She shivered involuntarily but held still for him. “We weren't sure if you'd appear here the same way we did... or at all...” His eyes caught hers and softened into a faint smile.

She couldn't reciprocate.

He saw it, didn't he? They all saw what happened that day...

They saw how much he hated her...

They saw how far she fell...

They saw how...

But...

Is that one here?

Does he really forgive her like the others do?

Or are they...

An uncomfortable feeling began twisting in her gut as his fingers continued traveling along her scars.

“H-how did they decide to let you be the one?” She coughed.

“Huh?” His eyes flicked to his hand and her faintly quivering jaw before quickly withdrawing back to the pillows.

“To greet me here?”

9S snorted out a nervous laugh. “Oh... heh... about that... I... well, it was more of a first-come-first-serve kinda thing.”

2B tilted her head to the side slightly, letting out a confused 'hmm?'

“I uh... I ran off when the others were bickering over who got to be the one to greet you.”

“Oh.” She murmured. A pleasant warmth began emanating from her Black Box as her eyes traveled along the cheeky grin on his face. A small smile crept on hers and she let out a soft snort... and then another... and another... and for the first time in what felt like ages, she laughed.

It wasn't particularly intense or spectacular, but it felt... nice. Nice to be so close to the one she loved, nice to be so far from all the fighting and death, nice to know that despite everything, he still cared enough about her to play a dirty little trick on the others to find her before they did. Laughing felt... nice. So she let it grow.

Her shoulders began to shake and her body began to tremble as she doubled over in an increasing fit. 9S quickly joined in and the two sat there for some unknown time, simply reveling in each other's presence.

“You're so...” She gasped as the fits began to quiet down. “You...”

“I'm so... me?”

“Yeah.” She breathed. Her trembling hand reached out to brush a messy lock of hair that had fallen in front of his face. She slid her fingers down his jawline and propped his chin up _just so—_ so she could get a better look at his eyes sparkling with joyful tears.

He sighed softly and leaned forward, pressing his face into the crook of her neck. Her arms came up around him and she pressed her lips to the top of his head.

“Nines...” She whispered.

“2B...” He responded in a matching tone.

“I'm so glad... I'm so glad you're here... and the others, too.”

“Me too 2B... It was fun getting to know all the past versions of myself... and seeing how much they all care about you in their own ways. And knowing that they're just as excited to meet you as I am and... and whenever you're ready, I can call them in...” He nuzzled his face deeper into her neck. “I really want to stay like this for a while longer... but I know the others are probably getting tired of waiting... so uh... I can bring them in one by one or all at once, whatever is best for you.”

“Oh... uh...” 2B paused. She was just as excited to reunite with them as they were but... Could she handle meeting all of them at once? And what did he mean by 'all'? Every single one that she's... killed? And they were all happy to see her? Not even one of them was a little bit mad? Not that she didn't deserve any anger or hatred towards her but... what if one of them tried something... and they all fought... how would she handle something like that? How would she...

“2B...?” 9S soft voice cut through the static she didn't even realize was creeping up on her.  
“Huh?” She gasped and relaxed her tightening grip on his back.

“One at a time then?” He smiled. “The others can all wait a little longer if that's what's best for you. They'll understand.”

“Y-yeah. You're right.”

He pulled a communicator from his pocket. “Oh, and one more thing.” He said. “We kinda gave ourselves our own nicknames since there's so many of us now and it was getting confusing. I chose 'Devini' to be mine... It means 'nine' in an ancient human language called Latvian. Well... all our names mean 'nine' actually. We thought it was fitting...”

“Devini...” She repeated, dreamily.

“Yeah, exactly!” He chirped. “I mean... I still prefer Nines by a lot, but this is just for when we're all together and you want just one of us. So uh... what do you think?”

“I think it's clever.”

“Really?” He gasped.

“Yeah...” She nodded. “And Devini... it sounds nice.”

“Oh, I'm glad... I was worried since you never called me Nines until the end that you... well... anyway.” He looked away and fumbled with his communicator. “I can call over the next one now.”

2B nodded a silent agreement and waited.

“All right boys, she's ready. One at a time.”

Immediately, 2B heard the sound of a nearby door slamming open followed quickly by thundering footsteps heading their way. They skidded to a halt right outside the door and paused. 2B waited with bated breath for a long moment before she could hear a small, timid knock on the metal door.

“C-come in.” She stammered.

A small gasp could be heard before the door was thrown open to reveal another 9S standing at the entrance, gripping the door frame to hold himself up as the force from opening it so fast nearly cost him his balance.

“2B!” He yelled, face lighting up as he saw her nestled within the pillows. Before she had a chance to properly react, he was on her; his arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Devini barely managed to dodge out of his way to avoid getting shoved to the side. He let out a huff as he scooted off to the side.

“Oh, 2B...” He cried out, pressing his face into his chest and rubbing his hands on her back in an intimately familiar way. 2B gasped and stiffened at the sudden contact; the new 9S seemed to sense her tension and immediately pulled back.

“2B I'm sorry I...” He stammered. “I was just... I missed you so much... I just...”

“It's fine Nines.” She smiled, letting out a small breath. “I—” Her words were cut off as she caught sight of his arms; from the tips of his fingers to a bit beyond his elbows, he was completely covered in rough burn-like scars. The irregular mottling of skin was littered with blotches and lines of angry-looking reds and pinks with smaller flecks of grays and blacks scattered throughout. It was almost as if someone had taken a wire brush to his skin and hastily scratched along his arms in no particular pattern.

His legs were no better off; they had the same crude scar patterns from the knees all the way down beyond where they disappeared beneath his white socks. And his head... around his hairline... it was faint, but she could see the beginnings of more scars even there.

If the scars were a remnant of their death wounds then... these scars matched perfectly with...

She took one hand carefully in hers and ran her free fingers along the bumps and calluses.

“I... I'm...”

“2B, it's ok.” He assured. “It doesn't hurt and... I mean... I chose to go out this way so... please don't worry. Ok?” He gave her a soft smile that served to calm her nerves just a little.

“Ok.” She responded quietly.

9S sighed in relief and slowly turned his hand around until he could weave his rough fingers between hers. He cautiously pulled her into a much more gentle and tender hug, burying his face in her shoulder. His hands resumed running along her back and weaving through her hair and behind her ears... just like before.

Before, when she allowed herself to get closer to her Nines.

Before, when she had a little more hope for the future.

Before, when he showed her he loved her despite her designation.

Before, when he said his last goodbyes before infecting himself with his own virus to save her the pain of killing him herself.

“Nines...” She murmured. “You're...”

“Yeah...” He nuzzled deeper into her shoulder. “It's me... it's good to see you again—good to hold you again.”

“Mmm...” She began massaging him back, digging her fingers into the spots she remembered made him purr like a satisfied kitten... more or less. It didn't take long before he relaxed even more and leaned into the contact, and not long after that, she felt a strange wetness begin to soak her shirt where his face was buried.

“I missed you, 2B.” He choked, shoulders trembling as he held back sobs.

She squeezed him gently one more time and pressed her lips to his forehead. “I missed you too, Nines.”

A small shiver ran down his spine as she said that and he nuzzled into her even more; any further and she wouldn't have been surprised if he simply melted into her body then and there. That idea didn't sound half bad, now that she thought about it.

“Has he told you about our nicknames yet?” He murmured after a long moment of silence.

“Yeah,” 2B replied. “Devini, right?” She cast a glance in his direction and his face lit up as he nodded from where he waited quietly nearby.

“Mine's Kyuu.”

“Kyuu? I like that.”

“Really?” He lifted his head up to look into her eyes.

“Mhm.” She nodded, softening her gaze for him. “I'm sure they're all good.”

“As long as you like mine, I don't care about the others... Although I still would prefer you call me Nines when we're alone. I missed hearing it.”

“I bet 10G every one of us is going to say that.” Snorted Devini, almost out of earshot. 2B let out a soft huff and Kyuu shot him an annoyed glance before burying his face back into 2B's chest.

“I... I can call you all Nines...” She mused. “I don't have to hold back anymore... I...”

“You're free 2B...” Hummed Kyuu. “We're all free.”

* * *

The next Nines ran in almost as aggressively as Kyuu had. There was a little more hesitation and caution before he wrapped himself around her, but she could feel the same level of excitement and relief radiating from his body as he nuzzled his face into the same part of her shoulder Kyuu had.

2B absentmindedly ran her fingers along the geometric scarring patterns along his chin and neck and down his legs as they talked. The coloration was similar to Kyuu's but the crystalline patterns and textures that covered most of his body were strongly reminiscent of the patterns the still-living 9S bore as the virus from Eve slowly took over his body.

She felt a tightness in her chest as she recalled the bittersweet memories of the final few hours spent with this one. She was partnered with him far longer than any of the other 9Ss and despite not being quite as... physically intimate with him as she did with some others, at least not until the end, the emotional bond that grew between them ran deeper than most others.

Naya was his name, and just as Devini had predicted, he made clear his preference of 'Nines' for when they were alone. She couldn't hold back a soft chuckle as he flashed a smug grin at Kyuu, who in turn rolled his eyes and shook his head as a small smile grew on his face.

The hours flew by as each new 9S came in to greet her; each one becoming more hesitant and timid in their welcoming embraces, but still visibly happy to finally talk to her again. Exhaustion began creeping up on her more and more, but she fought back sleep despite their assurances that the others would be fine waiting for her to rest, and in favor of letting all of them say what they needed to say and do what they needed to do.

Iny, with faint red marks circling his neck like a permanent choker, missing fingers, skin worn away, and bearing long scars across his body came next. He wasted no time in apologizing profusely for fighting back when she got the orders; all he wanted then was for her to stop attacking for a bit so they could talk, not... He shuddered at the memory of his bloodied sword protruding from her chest as a misstep from both of them sent it tearing through her body.

The weeks he spent on the run were some of the loneliest he's ever weathered according to him; he made it perfectly clear how relieved he was to finally find her again after deciding that dying alone as his body and mind deteriorated was too much to bear. The soft warmth of her bare hands against his throat brought him closer than he's ever been to her, and he was thankful that she had chosen the most intimate way to end him.

Koe, the first of her Nines to take his own life for her, bore the mark of his own sword across his throat. He joked how, had he known this place existed, he would have drawn 'something cool, like a flower or a heart' on his neck instead of 'a boring old line'. 2B and the others didn't quite share that dark sense of humor and he narrowly dodged a pillow lobbed at his head by Kyuu after 2B tripped all over her words trying to formulate a response.

Tisa entered soon after; he reluctantly removed his shirt to show the small mark on his chest directly above his black box. He was one of the easier ones to kill; a quick strike of the sword was all it took to end it and he fell to the ground with not another word. His back was turned as he sat peacefully and pensively when she approached him from behind... as if he had been waiting for her to get on with it... And judging by his pod's replay of his memories afterward, it appeared he had known all along who she really was.

As the boys continued to file in, 2B began to notice a pattern in their entrances... they were more-or-less coming in chronological order... but there were... gaps here and there. A cold static built in her gut as she began wondering more and more about where they could be. Were they coming later? Or did they never make it here in the first place? Or were they... She didn't want to bring it up... at least not right this moment, not at the risk of ruining the bittersweet reunion for everyone there.

Her mind flicked back to the present as 'Eiwa cautiously approached next; a mottling of burn-like scars coated the majority of his body from head to toe with the exception of a few patches of undamaged skin here and there. When the orders came, she decided to shoot him out of the sky to afford him the quickest and most painless end... and to spare herself the agony of having to see the look of betrayal that had flashed across previous 9S' faces as they faded away. But now... despite his assurances that it was fine, that it didn't hurt anymore, that 'hey, at least I still have all my hair and my eyes and this hand's still ok!', she still couldn't push the intense twisting of her gut away as she saw and felt the consequences of her cowardly decision.

Naoi approached next, with his matching sword marks on his stomach and back. The final pleas he summoned on the edge of death still echoed within her; if only she managed to calm her trembling hand before she struck she could have spared him the pain of having to bleed out on the cold dusty ground before her. He assured her it didn't take him long to forgive her for that; the moment he saw her weeping over his lifeless corpse, all resentment and feelings of betrayal had melted away.

Tara, with the scars she could feel but not see buried under his silky hair on the back of his head, nearly fell onto her as a stray leg from who knows which 9S caught his foot and threw him off balance. Despite her exhaustion, she immediately jumped into action, catching him in her arms and lowering him safely to the ground. They laughed as their nerves calmed and breathing evened out and he refused to let go, despite not being in the most comfortable position as he was.

Iva sported a hand-sized circular patch on his chest; similar to the scarring Kyuu and 'Eiwa had, the rough patch of skin was a mixture of rashy reds and pinks, and flashes of gray and blacks all mixed in with bits of his normal skin tone. Lightning-like tendrils radiated out from the center, giving the whole collection a look similar to artistic renditions of the sun. The tendrils reached below his waistline, across his ribs, and up and over his shoulders to tangle with more extending from a smaller circlet of marks on his back. He had joked about having the coolest-looking scars and how it reminded him of ancient pictures of humans that had survived being struck by lightning... 'but even cooler'.

Even Nove, the first 9S she had ever killed, and the one who fought the hardest to survive her attacks was seemingly excited to see her. He took her hands in his in greeting as she eyed the long, uneven diagonal scar on his forehead.

“Even though we hardly knew each other... comparatively... you still... forgive me?”

“I... can't say I was never upset at first.” He admitted. “I was dumped here alone to stew in my own thoughts with only this small area to wander around in and for a while I was... bitter and resentful but... and... well...”

2B squeezed his hands and pulled him into a light hug. His body stiffened at the contact but quickly relaxed and reciprocated. He cautiously rested his head on the same area of her shoulder as all the others and closed his eyes.

“Hhaha...” He breathed. “This feels... nice... I... when I watched you with the next 9S... er... Iva... I couldn't stay upset... I found myself glued to that screen out there hoping and praying he wouldn't suffer the same fate as I did... but I guess prayers go unanswered here as well. But I mean... I guess it wasn't so bad in the end since I finally had someone to talk to hah...”

“Yeah.” Iva added. “He was alone for almost five months when I got here. It wasn't exa s it's slower. We don't really know why it's like this but yeah... while only three months passed before you... before Iva came here, it had been around five for me.”

“Oh... I'm...”

“It wasn't _so_ bad.” He assured before she could continue, squeezing her back just slightly. “There were a lot of books here and plenty of flowers to take care of. I think I've developed what humans would call a 'green thumb'.”

“Green... thumb?”

“Yeah... I've seen a few images from the past. I think it meant when humans became good at gardening, they would dye their thumbs green to show off to other humans.”

“Oh... humans sure are strange.” 2B mused.

“Yeah.” Kyuu nodded while scooting closer and resting his head on her shoulder. 2B freed a hand and weaved her fingers through his hair, scratching behind his ear just like he liked. Nove squeezed tighter, not ready to give up his place in 2B's lap, but thankfully Kyuu seemed content to stay where he was that time. Next came Devini, who wrapped his arms around the three of them and pressed his face into the back of her neck. Then came Tisa, then Naya, then Iny, and one by one, all eleven of the 9S in that room surrounded her in one giant embrace.

“We missed you, 2B.” Mumbled Kyuu

“I...” She gasped. “I missed you too... every one of you.” The entire group acted as a single being and squeezed her tighter in response. She wasn't quite sure how to react; her mind and body both spat out conflicting thoughts and feelings about the whole arrangement. The embrace felt so nice at first; having so many of the 9S she cared about surrounding her in a warm, dreamy hug was just so surreal and amazing. Yet another part of her screamed it was fake, that it was some nasty trick by the machines to continue to mess with her after death. But they all felt so real, they all sounded, and smelled, and acted so real. They really all were 9S... her _Nines._

But what was this place? And why were they here? Where were the others? Was this all of them? Why do they all forgive her? What's going to happen now? Why are they all holding her? She couldn't move, she almost felt trapped. Her body tensed. This was... this was too much...

“Nngh...” 2B gasped and pulled into herself.

“Whoa, whoa, guys give her some space.” Koe snapped, pushing some of the others back as he pulled away. They all shuffled into a tight circle instead, with 2B at the cornerstone with Kyuu and Devini still pressed fairly closely

“T—this is...” She stuttered.

“It's ok 2B.” Devini said softly.

“Yeah, we're sorry.” Tisa added.

“We're all just... so happy to see you finally.” Naoi sighed.

“I—it's ok... That was just... It's fine.” Her breathing began to even out and she let her body relax and spread out a bit more.

“We know this was probably waaay overwhelming for you.” Squeaked Iny. “And that you're probably drained from everything. So please, we'll all do our best to give you time and space when you need it but, please don't be afraid to tell us to back off if we uh... get to be too much to handle at once.”

2B nodded, still somewhat in an exhausted daze.

“We're all just... so happy to see you.” Koe repeated. “We'll do out best to not get too out of control.” He let out a small breathy laugh.

“And don't worry if you can't remember all our new nicknames,” 'Eiwa added, “most of us had trouble remembering anyway.”

2B did a slow scan of the circle, taking a good long look at each of the 9S wrapped up in blankets, or curled up on the floor, or hugging some pillows. She raised a finger and pointed it to the 9S on her right and let it travel across the room as she listed their names.

“Kyuu, Tisa, Nove, Naoi, Naya, Iny, 'Eiwa, Koe, Tara, Iva, and Devini.” The entire group lit up as she repeated all their names perfectly... well at least according to them since they weren't quite sure they were pronouncing their own names correctly in the first place. Some hopped excitedly in their seats, while others simply beamed and nodded as she reached them. 2B's hand came to rest on Devini's shoulder as she finished and watched as the buzz slowly died back down.

 _This isn't everyone I've been with..._ She thought, counting them all over again. _But they're acting as if..._

A tense silence came down on the group as her mind began racing again. Perhaps they knew what she was thinking; knowing all of them, it was quite likely they did.

She... had to ask... They couldn't forever gloss over the fact that less than half of the 9S she killed before were there in that room.

“So...” She murmured. “Where are the others?”

“2B...” Kyuu sighed softly. “This is everyone.”

“I—I don't understand.” 2B murmured as her eyes scanned the group once more. "That can't be all of you. I k—killed so many more of you, _where are the others?"_

“N-not everyone made it here.” Mumbled Naya.

“And we don't really know why.” Added Tisa.

“It's ok though, 2B!” Kyuu assured. “Everyone who really matters is here, so—”

“But you _all_ matter!” She snapped but immediately covered her mouth with her hands. A visible shock flashed through the group but she continued before any of them had a chance to react further. “Every one of you matters so much to me... even the ones I've only known for a week... or even five minutes. You're all so...” Her voice trailed off as the memories of the ones lost forever bubbled to the forefront of her mind.

“S-sorry 2B...” He stuttered.

Tisa leaned over and smacked him on the shoulder. “Nice one, asshole.” He growled. Kyuu flashed him a glare but said nothing in response.

She sighed. “I just... you're really the only ones here? But why? I mean...”

"Well... we're not quite sure how anything here works but..." Naya said quietly, digging his toe into the floor. "Whatever this place is... we believe it has something to do with you somehow, so...”

“With me?” She gasped quietly. “But... how?”

“We... don't really have any definite proof of anything.” He continued. “So it's all just speculation and the like but... we think that like... only the 9S models that had a strong connection to you could materialize here. The ones that you only knew for a few days or not at all just... completely disappeared when they died. They just... never showed up, no matter how long we searched for them."

"Oh..."

"I-it's ok!" He stuttered, forcing a stiff smile on his face that completely failed to hide the pain and guilt in his eyes. "I'm sure they're all at peace." The effort was appreciated, but it did nothing to quell the storm brewing in her gut. Her eyes drifted over them again, burning every uncomfortable twitch and shift of the group into her mind.

"So...” She murmured. “If a strong connection to me is what brought you all here... Then that still doesn't add up..." She glanced back up at the circle; more of them had that uneasy look painted on their faces as they nervously anticipated her next questions.

"There should be twelve." Two of them flinched as if about to be struck. Slowly, a few of them nodded, wordlessly shifting their gazes away from her as tension built in their bodies.

Her stomach slowly twisted itself in knots as painful memories of a month's past resurfaced in her mind. Memories of pain and decay. Memories of hatred and revenge. Memories of the harsh reminder she received that told her she deserved no forgiveness for her past actions.

"...It's him isn't it?"

A silent, but noticeable shock ran through the eleven scanners before they simultaneously nodded a reluctant affirmation.

"Where is he?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2B learns more about the one 9S that the boys seem reluctant to talk about.

_What the hell is wrong with him?_

_Why would he do that to her?_

_He knows how much pain she's already in because of this._

_He didn't have to make it worse._

_It wasn't her fault, she didn't know._

_He should know that._

_We all know how he felt before all this._

_He can't just pretend it never happened._

_He's not one of us, he'll never be one of us._

_He's not an android or even a machine._

_He's just..._

_A monster._

* * *

 2B eyed the room full of tense Scanners. None of them attempted to make eye contact with her as they waited for her inevitable questioning.

“He... He's... around.” Iny admitted finally.

“And he...” 2B begun before she even had a concrete question in her mind.

“2B don't worry about him.” Kyuu interrupted. “You have all of us here, we all care about you so much and—”

“How can I not worry about him!?” She snapped. Kyuu's mouth slammed shut with a squeak and he said no more. A few of the other boys opened their mouths to speak but all that came out were small grunts.

“He's... the one that...” 2B lightly placed her fingers on the thin scars on her jawline.

They all nodded solemnly.

“Oh...” The entire group sat in silence for a long while. 2B's hands wrapped around the hem of her dress and began tugging at it absentmindedly.

_"Cow...ard."_

The room began to darken and the concerned 9S' faded into noise as flashes of memories came back clearer and clearer. There's only one 9S that it could be... the only one she failed to return his broken, lifeless body back to command herself. The only one she didn't confirm 100% that he was dead. The only one that was left alone deep in the murky pits that littered that one strange mountain...

_I... I'm..._

_"Get up. Do your job."_

But... he survived... and long enough to become...

_I'm sorry! I... I didn't mean for this to—_

_"Don't you dare apologize to me."_

Her mind filled with static as no words could form. She could vaguely register the concerned voices of the other 9S' calling out to her but could do no more than continue pulling at her skirt.

_"You don't deserve my forgiveness."_

It was too much too much tooo.... mmuchhh.... ttt-t—oo...

“N-n-no I—I... I'm...” She coughed out in sputtering breaths.

Suddenly, the thick haze began to lift as the gentle arms of both Devini and Kyuu wrapped around her. As she slowly came back to her senses, she realized she had completely doubled over, head in her lap and skirt torn almost all the way up.

“2B it's ok.” Kyuu said softly. “We're here.” She relaxed her body a bit.

“We don't hate you, we could never.” Nove added. She released her grip on her skirt.

“We forgive you.” Devini sighed into her shoulder. She looked up to see the worried gaze from every one of them looking at her.

“We know you did what you could, and you never meant to hurt any of us.” Naya reached over and placed his hand on hers.

“He...” Kyuu continued, his soft voice held a faint, but noticeable strain to it. “He doesn't understand. He never got to see how much... how much this hurts you. It's not your fault, it was never your fault.”

“I-it...” She stammered. “He... I-I could h-have... I should have.... I should have made sure he was dead! I...” She clasped her hands over her mouth and let out a choked sob.

“2B you had no way of knowing.”

“We all thought he was dead too until he didn't show up in Limbo.”

“We hoped that maybe after he finally did... come here that... we could get him to...”

“Care about you again.”

“But...”

“He attacked us and ran off.”

“He won't let any of us near him.”

“He's no different than he was before.”

“So please...”

“Don't go near him.”

“It's not safe and...”

2B simply shook her head. “I c-can't... I can't just abandon him like this though!”

“I... we know but...”

“It doesn’t matter if you think he’s dangerous, he’s alone...I need to—” She began to stand but Kyuu tightened his grip on her shoulder.

“2B!” He snapped in a way that made everyone jump. 2B froze and simply stared at him in shock as she sunk back into her seat. “We saw what he did to you! We were... we were...” His body tensed even more as he dug his nails into the floor.

“You saw what I did to him too!” She snapped back. Her voice dimmed and she curled back in on herself. “What I did to all of you.”

“You didn't have a choice, he did.” Naya growled. “I mean... not at first he didn't... but after that...”

“2B... I know we can't stop you from looking for him but... please get some rest first.”

“Yeah, he can wait. You've been through so much the past few days, we don't want you to have to deal with anything else right now. So please...”

“Just rest... We're all here for you now.”

“But...” 2B mumbled. The eleven pairs of eyes bore into her as their silent pleas screamed for her to stay.

“All right...” She sighed. The group lit up with relieved smiles as the air of unease lifted.

“Great!” Chirped Kyuu. “You can pick any bed and any pillows and any blankets to sleep on and...” He coughed lightly “Any one of us to...”

“Dude seriously?” Koe sighed.

“I didn't mean it like _that._ ” Kyuu sighed back. He turned to 2B. “I just... missed this. I missed holding you and just... feeling so safe and protected in your arms.” He pressed his face into her shoulder. “I missed you.”

“We all did.” Naoi added.

“And if we have to tell you this a thousand times then so be it.” Kyuu teased.

“And I...” 2B gasped. “If I... Have to... If I have to say it back a thousand and one times then I'll do it.” She pressed her head on Kyuu's and closed her eyes. Exhaustion began creeping back up on her and she forced them back open to keep herself from passing out on the spot.

They all seemed to notice that and started clearing pillows and things off nearby beds for her. 2B eyed the room wearily but decided that the pillow coated mattress she was already comfortable on was plenty good. She shifted some around and prepared to lay down but was stopped by a gasp from one of the boys.

“Oh, wait!” Naya said. “We made a bunch of clothes for you if you want to change out of those grungy tattered ones. They should be a lot more comfortable.”

“Yeah!” Iva jumped up and fished a box out of one of the corners and presented them to her.

She opened the tattered cardboard to see a huge variety of dresses and shirts and pants and anything else imaginable folded neatly inside.

“I made most of them actually.” Kyuu boasted. “There were a lot of books on sewing in the library we stayed at for a while, and I picked up a lot of tips and tricks.

“I also fixed up a lot of ones I found around too!” Added Tisa.

2B held up the topmost dress in the light, just a simple sky blue sundress. It was light and airy with plenty of room to move around in. The thin shoulder straps seemed too delicate to hold up through a battle... but then again, she shouldn't be expecting any battles in this strange world... hopefully.

She continued digging through the box, pulling out a huge variety of clothing, from flashy multicolored tops, to pants with a dozen bottomless pockets, to skirts with plants and forest creatures stitched on with love.

As she reached the bottom, the floor had become strewn with all of the possibilities; each 9S was reaching out to straighten up the clothes for her to see better.

“These are all lovely.” 2B sighed. The boys, especially Kyuu and Tisa, lit up at her response.

“I think...This one.” She said, holding up the first blue sundress for the group to see.

With no hesitation, she pulled her top over her head and untied her skirt, flinging the dirty, torn old uniform aside. She paid no mind to the surprised gasps that could be heard as she slipped the new dress over her leotard and fluffed the base a few times to get a feel for her new attire.

The boys sat in shocked silence, mouths agape as she continued unlacing her boots as if nothing happened. A few of them shifted uncomfortably in their seats, crossing their legs or pulling pillows into their laps.

'Eiwa and Koe recovered fairly quickly and began swatting at their neighbors as they continued to ogle 2B's smooth legs as she casually stretched them out.

“Knock it off guys” 'Eiwa hissed.

“Yeah, you're being gross.” Koe added.

“It's fine.” 2B smiled. It would be a lie for her to say she didn't expect something like this would happen; most of them had seen her in at least some state of undress and she couldn't help but love how red their faces grew from seeing more than the usual. Even ones like Kyuu or Naya still had to push their jaws closed after catching a glimpse. A tiny smirk grew on her face as the group struggled to recover.

“S-s-sorry I...”

“I didn't mean to stare...”

“We just...”

“You're just...”

“Beautiful...”

2B's smile faded slightly. She knew they were _right_ in that androids, especially YoRHa androids, were designed to represent the idealized physical beauty of humanity. Plus, she never thought too much about appearance outside of keeping up with what was expected of her but...

It was the inside that counted, right? And she certainly didn't feel beautiful there. An uncomfortable tightness began growing in her chest but she pushed it back down, opting to deal with it later.

“Thank you.” She responded almost silently.

“We really mean it 2B.” Tara murmured. “Both inside and out.”

“...I'm going to lie down now.” 2B mumbled back. “This dress is very comfortable. Thank you... all of you. You're... you're too kind...” She nestled down in the pillows until she was completely buried. Devini grabbed a nearby blanket and worked it through the pile, covering her as much as he could.

He and Kyuu settled down on either side of her and the rest of them soon found their places nearby, close, but not too close. Kyuu reached out and snaked his scarred hand through the pillow to intertwine his fingers with hers. 2B squeezed back and reached her free hand back to do the same with Devini.

“Is there anything we can get you?” 'Eiwa asked. “Water? More blankets?”

“I'm fine.” She yawned. “I just need... to rest now... So much has happened.” She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.

“All right.” He nodded, nestling down somewhere nearby. “Just please let us know if you need anything ok?”

2B nodded and mumbled an affirmation. She half-expected to be unable to enter sleep-mode with everything new to think about, but soon enough, and she was overtaken by exhaustion and shut down.

* * *

_Hot... too... hot..._

2B's body shifted around as temperature warnings began softly ringing inside her head. She pried her eyes open, half-expecting to have to rush out of a burning building, but instead, she found herself still covered in a mountain of pillows and blankets... and now sandwiched between still-sleeping Kyuu and Devini. It seemed the heat from twelve bodies radiating out into a small room proved too much for her systems.

She let out an amused snort as she carefully began shoving pillows and blankets off her body in an attempt to cool off a bit. It helped a bit, despite Devini's and Kyuu's warm bodies giving off the majority of the heat.

2B glanced around the room full of sleeping boys; they all crowded as close as possible to her while still giving her as much space as they could. She smiled and reached out to stroke a strand of hair from Naya's face and felt a soft hum in her chest as he mumbled and unconsciously scooted closer.

Kyuu let out a small sigh and 2B pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his hair.

 _They really... care about me..._ She still had trouble believing this was true, despite how kind and gentle every single one of them had been in the past few hours.

They could be lying.

They could be hiding something.

There could be more out there than just... him.

This could all be some trick by the machines to make her final moments hell.

This could just be a simulation to give and then take everything away from her all over again.

No.

2B groaned softly and pulled Kyuu even closer to her. He felt the same. They were all the same. All their scars, all their little personality quirks, they matched them perfectly.

But could she ever really accept their forgiveness?

...And could she ever forgive herself?

She shook her head.

Not as long as even a single one of them still held hatred in his heart for her.

Not as long as even a single one of them still suffered even a little bit of residual pain and suffering from her actions.

Would the day come that they were all free from the suffering she inflicted on them all?

...She didn't want to think about that right now.

She knows she should just curl up and enjoy being surrounded by so many people that loved and cared for her seemingly unconditionally.

...But she couldn't, not when there were so many questions that needed to be answered. Not when there was still...

...

She carefully slid out from Kyuu and Devini's embrace and sat up. The rush of cooler air that blew across her helped minimally, but everything going on in her mind only served to push her processors into overdrive. It was almost as if her body was preparing for a battle that would never come.

That wasn't something she could quite handle in that moment, she had to move, to stretch, to get some pent-up energy out before her insides turned into a pool of molten plastics and wires.

Cautiously, she stood up and silently tiptoed over the sleeping 9S' sprawled across the room. Their peacefully sleeping faces betrayed no negative feelings or worrisome signs.

“2B?” A soft voice made her jump as her fingertips touched down on the door. She turned around to see Kyuu sitting up with questioning eyes boring into her.

“N-nines, I...” She murmured. “I need to... I need some air. It's getting hot in here.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

She shook her head. “I need... some air.”

Kyuu's eyes lowered as his lips twitched into a short-lived frown. “All right... just... be careful ok? Remember your promise?”

2B nodded, avoiding eye contact. “I do.” And with that, she silently slipped out of the room into the now-dark clearing.

She's been to the Kingdom of Night before but this was... different. The sky was still black and infinite, yet it was completely starless and she didn't have to trudge through miles of ice and snow. It just felt like a normal day... only without the gentle warmth of the sun on her skin.

It was... unsettling to say the least, and had she been more awake, she might have been downright worried at the huge change in brightness. Or maybe her lack of true worry was a sign that she was already getting used to the unexplainable qualities of Limbo.

2B took a deep breath and sighed. Something about the crispness of the cool night air set off something inside her and before she knew it she bolted out of camp at full speed. She tore through the bushes, leaped over logs, and splashed through streams.

She ran around aimlessly for some time, looping around, zigzagging, blazing her own trails. For once in a long time, her mind felt... clear. Her body felt... light. Her soul felt... free. She didn't have anywhere she had to go, or anyone she had to obey, she could just run for the sake of running.

She kept going on and on, not caring about the sharp branches scratching at her legs and tearing at her dress. She was a combat model after all; a couple of twigs poking against her feet were nothing compared to the grueling daily battles she faced up until now.

That feeling of unadulterated freedom didn't last for long as she nearly ran headlong into a building hidden behind some thick bushes. After catching her breath to calm her nerves from that shock, 2B pushed through the bushes until she made her way to the other side. She found that she had inadvertently backtracked all the way the ruined city she and Devini had come through when she arrived.

Just like before, the clean-cut border extended all the way out to this area too. She knelt down on the ground to examine the strange phenomenon. Despite the completely different biomes being pressed together unnaturally, the grass and other plants had been busy regrowing and creeping onto the opposite side. It was almost as if the land was stitching itself back together and healing after being sliced open by some unknown attacker. She wondered how long it might take for the seams to be completely unnoticeable. How long would it take for the buildings to crumble and the damaged trees to decay back into soil?

2B absentmindedly followed the border for a bit, casually wondering about the far future of this place until a collapsed building blocked her path. She veered off into the city and wandered through the buildings until she stumbled upon the old camp she and Devini had stayed at when they were both... alive.

Seeing it in a completely new light, or lack thereof, was... unsettling to say the least, especially without the hustle and bustle of Resistance members working 24/7 on various tasks. She browsed through the various huts and tents and ran her fingers along the cold and dust-covered machinery that were once loud and lively.

2B tugged at the rusty metal 'door' that sheltered their resting place and peeked inside. Just like everything else, it was exactly the same except... there were no mattresses. The two empty bed frames sat in the exact same position as before, not two feet apart from each other as the cramped space between the buildings allowed for no more than that.

“I guess that explains where their hoard of bedding comes from.” She mumbled to herself before heading back out into the clearing, satisfied with whatever she was looking for. She finally settled down on the lone bench at the edge of the flowerbed and stared into the tangle of plants.

The flowers were beautiful bathed in the soft 'moonlight' that filtered through the camp. 2B momentarily wondered if she should bring back a bouquet for the boys but decided against it as she didn't want to damage the delicate perfection of the small plot of land.

 _What now?_ 2B thought. Should she keep sitting there? Should she move on and explore more? Her head sunk into her hands and she traced the scars on her face with her thumbs as she searched for an answer.

Now that the high from the mad dash had worn off, she finally realized how truly alone she was there. The boys were likely still sleeping peacefully over a mile away. There was no one there to provide support should she need it and without a weapon, she felt vulnerable... almost... afraid. But no... there was nothing to be afraid about... no machines, no aliens, no infected androids. Only...

She flinched slightly as painful memories once again flooded her mind.

_He..._

_I need to find him._

_But what am I going to do when I do?_

_He hates me. He tried to kill me._

_He has the right to. I deserve it but..._

_He's alone. I can't just..._

_But how...?_

_I don't... I don't know!_

_He has the right to hate me but..._

_He's alone! He's alone!_

_He should hate me. They all should h-hate me._

_No, no! They... th-they're..._

_I des-s-serve i-it..._

_Wh-why d-d-don't they h-h-hate me t-t-too?_

_It-t-t's not m-my f-f-fault._

_I'm s-sorry!_

_P-p-please f-forg-g-give me._

_N-n-no don't I d-don't deserve it I—_

2B was so caught up in her conflicting thoughts that she failed to hear she slow, ambling footsteps that approached from behind until they were almost on her.

She shot up as soon as she registered them, quickly wiping the single tear that was rolling down her cheek and shook the static from her mind as best she could. She opened her mouth to speak and prepared to turn around but...

She froze... Something wasn't right. The footsteps... They were too uneven... too heavy... They scraped and slid and—

2B took a deep breath and gagged as the foul odor hit her all at once. The all-too-familiar putrid mix of oils and decaying animal matter invaded her senses and it took all she had to not heave her guts out into the flowers. It was the same vile stench that permeated the depths of the shopping center on that fateful day.

No no no. This was too soon, too soon. She wasn't ready. She had to... had to...

The footsteps abruptly stopped not two meters from where she sat. All she could hear in that moment were his deep, rattling breaths, the creaks of strained, rusted metal bones, and a haze of static from damaged parts all mixed with her own panicked breathing.

She found herself frozen in place, despite every combat instinct programmed into her telling her to leap into action and face the threat behind her. Her entire body screamed conflicting directions at her and all she could do was tremble in place until a wet growl from her visitor jolted her into action.

Slowly, her body turned to face him and she nearly screamed at what she saw.

Before she could even open her mouth to say anything, the boy spoke with a voice tainted with static and auditory glitches.

"So that's where you were... 2E."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's that boi

2B sat frozen in silence as she took in the sight before her.

While all the other 9S' wounds had healed up nicely enough with only discolored scarring as a reminder of their deaths, this one looked nearly as terrible as he did on the day of their last fateful encounter. Her eyes slowly scanned up and down his battered body as the sight and smell caused her stomach to twist and head to spin even more.

Just like in the outside world, his hunched, twisted frame was covered head to toe in dirt, grime, and open sores. He swayed, joints creaking as his decayed limbs and spine were too malformed to support him properly. His body seemed caught in between an animalistic and humanoid form. Though not quite as misshapen as before, his legs and arms stretched longer than normal and were still tipped with claws formed from skeletal protrusions and embedded stones and splinters. The spikes lodged in his back had either fallen off or had folded into his body once again.

The sparse patches of yellowed hair on his scalp were matted together with the same putrid black slime that leaked from multiple wounds on his body. His gray eyes, clouded with a thin film of dark mucus, pierced into her sharper than any weapon has ever. Just that look alone made her blood run ice cold.

What was left of his lips were peeled back into a snarl, showing off his gnarled, broken teeth now more reminiscent of fangs of a monster than replicas of their human creators'. On his left side, the skin of his cheek and throat were nearly completely rotted or torn away, showing off bits of his synthetic musculature and skeleton underneath. His choker was nowhere to be seen, likely torn off at the time he lost his skin... or yanked off by himself.

His tattered coat barely held onto his body and did nothing to hide his exposed ribs and the massive open cavity in his chest and stomach area. Most of his internal hardware was visible under a thick layer of tar and decay. He gripped it tightly with one clawed hand as if trying to keep whatever was left inside him from spilling out.

2B's eyes locked onto the wound and she couldn't pull them away as the dozens of exposed, sparking wires captured her attention in gross fascination. In this entire time, had he, nor any of the other 9S' done anything to repair him? Had he really not let any of them near him?

...And why didn't he heal up on his arrival in Limbo, why was he the only one that looked almost the same as he did when he died?

“Got anything to say?” He snarled, voice still crackling with static. “Or are you going to keep gawking at the mess you made?” 2B's attention snapped back up to his face, still pulled into a grizzly scowl. A thin trail of black slime began leaking from the corner of his mouth.

“I-I...” She stood up, but quickly took a small step back as the feral 9S bared his teeth and growled quietly.

“What... happened to you?”

“You know damn well—” he let out a sputtering cough, spraying bits of muck on the ground, “...what happened. _You_ did this to me. _You_ let this... urgh...” He struggled to regain his footing after he swayed too far in one direction.

“N-nines I...”

9S paused for a split second, piercing gaze softening an almost imperceptible amount before twisting into an even more intense scowl.

“Don't you _dare_ call me that. I was _never_ 'Nines' to you. You think saying it now is going to fix anything?”

2B slowly shook her head. “N-no but... Y-you were... though... I just... I couldn't—”

“I don't give a _shit._ ” He coughed. “I don't... about your excuses. _I don't care!_ ” He stomped his foot as hard as he could; his joints let out faintly audible crackling sounds on impact.

“I... I can...” 2B took a step forward, and slowly reached out a trembling hand to him. He immediately recoiled and lashed his claws out at her, narrowly missing her fingers as she pulled back with lightning speed.

“Don't touch me!” He snapped.

“Please, let me help you.” She begged. “I can't... I can't undo what I've done but I can at least—”

_“No! I_ don't want your help! I don't want your pity! I don't want anything from you!” His feral screams echoed through the once-silent clearing. Another wave of putrid odor blew across her face and she fought to hold back a gag as her eyes began to water... Whether it was from the stench, or an emotional response or some terrible combination, she wasn't sure.

“Then what... can I... I...” Tears began flowing freely; there was no question where they were coming from now.

“I'm... s-sorry.” She whimpered.

“I'm sorry...” Her weakening legs gave way beneath her and she sunk to her hands and knees.

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry.” Her shoulders shook uncontrollably as she sobbed into the ground.

“I didn't mea... I didn't mean fff... I didn't mean for this to happen! I...”

9S let out a sharp laugh. “You wanted me to die right away... so you didn't have to deal with the consequences?”

“N-no... I...”

“What are you trying to get out of... _this_?” He waved his free hand vaguely at her groveling form.

“I... I don't know... I just—”

“No! Get away from her!” The cries of another 9S echoed through the clearing as the entire group skidded around the corner and rushed to her aid as fast as their legs could carry them.

“Wait! Stop!” 2B screamed shooting back to her feet. She jumped in front of 9S and held her hand out to the boys when she caught sight of the fire in their eyes and shimmer of their freshly-polished weapons.

“2B!” They yelled as her words halted them for a split second. “He's going to—”

The feral 9S took another step forward, paying no mind to the approaching mob. The moment his foot touched down, his ankle crackled and twisted in an unnatural direction, sending him stumbling forward. He yelped and threw out his arms to grab hold of something as he careened straight towards 2B.

She dodged back instinctively and the boy crashed to the ground with a sickening, wet thud; he squealed and sputtered from the impact and immediately struggled to stand, joints creaking and black sludge leaking from multiple places.

“9S!” 2B came forward once again as he let out another shuddering cry but stopped as he swiped at her and screamed a piercing, crackling scream.

In an instant, the others surrounded them; 2B felt herself dragged backward by several 9S as the rest shoved themselves between her and the feral, pointing their swords threateningly at him.

“D-dont!”

“2B it's ok!” Panted Kyuu. “We won't let him hurt you!”

“I'm ok! He—” She was interrupted by another wet snarl as 9S finally stood up and confronted the boys.

“You couldn't even wait one day before slithering over to her?” Kyuu snapped as kicked out at the feral 9S. His foot connected with his shin and sent him tumbling backward until he collapsed on the ground a second time.

“ALL OF YOU STOP IT” 2B screamed and wrenched herself from their grasps, shoving past them all to come to the fallen 9S' aid. They all stood in stunned silence as she knelt down next to the panting mess struggling on the ground.

“Please,” she pleaded, voice soft and gentle, “Please let me help you. I can—” She extended her hand out to him despite the other 9S pleas for her to stay back.

**“Don't touch me.”** He snarled again, slapping her away and dragging himself back to his feet.

“That's some pretty bold shit to say considering what you did to her.” Kyuu snarled back.

“And what you just tried to do again.” Naya added.

“W-wait...” 2B began. “He wasn't—”

“What is wrong with you?”

“Why are you like this?!”

“We tried to help you, we tried to repair you and fix your fucked up body but you just keep...”

“You're gonna be stuck like that forever if you keep this up!”

“Just leave her alone, she's already suffered enough because of you!”

“She's already distraught fr—”

“SHUT UP! I don't care!” He screeched. “I don't care I don't care I don't care!!!” His chest rattled with strain as he continued to scream back.

“It's all her fault I'm like this! It's all her fault you're like this! She murdered us! And you're just welcoming your killer in with open arms!? What the hell is— ugh! Fucking... forget it, you're all just...” He let out a frustrated groan and stormed off, limping and gripping the gaping hole in his stomach tightly; it did nothing to staunch the flow of sludge that dripped to the ground each step he took. Before he disappeared behind the ruined buildings, he stopped in his tracks and gave one last piercing glare straight through 2B, strong enough to force her a step back.

“No matter how much they treat you like a goddess,” he growled, “you're still just a monster.”

“GET OUT!”

The entire group waited in tense silence as the feral's uneven footsteps faded into nothingness.

“2B are you ok, did he hurt you?” Kyuu said, looking her all over and brushing his fingers along the small cuts and scrapes on her legs. “Were these—”

“Nono!” 2B gasped, pulling back slightly. “He didn't touch me. He—”

“He was about to though!”

“He almost hurt you again!”

“W-wait...” 2B murmured as the boys began to crowd in.

“Shit if that monster did _anything_ here like he did before then...”

“I don't want to think about what could ha—”

“ _Nines!_ ” 2B snapped. The entire group jumped slightly and slammed their mouths shut.

“He wasn't attacking me...”

“B-but you were...”

“We saw him...”

“He tripped... he could barely hold himself up... he was... he was... Please don't harm him.”

“Oh... 2B...” Naya mumbled, sliding his hands up her cheeks and wiping the re-forming tears from her eyes. She shook her head and tried to blink the rest away.

“I... I have to fix this...”

“Not right now you don't.”

“We need some time to calm down and think about this.”

“Come on... Let's go home.”

“We can talk more there...”

“After we get some rest.”

2B simply nodded and mumbled a weak agreement as they turned towards home.

The trek back was a blur; 2B staggered along as pairs of soft hands held her steady and guided her through the cracked roads and thick trees. Several of the boys attempted small talk, but 2B's mind was so preoccupied with replaying the past few minute's events that she couldn't process more than a few words here and there. They soon quieted and walked the rest of the way home in silence.

When they arrived, they eased her back on her bed and began quietly tending to the small cuts and scrapes she collected on her legs during her earlier run.

“2B?” Naya was the first to break the silence, his voice low and soft.

2B simply mumbled and turned her head halfway to him.

“I'm... sorry you had to see him so soon...”

She didn't respond; instead, she scanned the room with dull, tired eyes at each one of the boys surrounding her.

“...Why...?” She sighed.

“Why?”

“Why is he... why is he like that? When even...” She shifted her gaze toward 'Eiwa and his scarred, yet intact body.

“He...” 'Eiwa started. “We don't know really.”

“It might be because that's how he was for a long time before... well...” Koe added.

Tisa held out his left hand to show faint lines at the base of his last two fingers. “When I came here I was still missing the ones I lost a week earlier, they made me the new ones you see here.”

“Or if it wasn't that... since he was so gunked up it might have messed with whatever was putting us back together.”

“So it only could somewhat fix him.”

“We offered to help him... we really did but...”

“Like we said, he wouldn't let us near him and just attacked whoever tried.”

“2B I... we know how you feel and... you feel responsible and...”

“It's not your fault... you didn't mean for any of this to happen...”

“But there's nothing we can do right now...”

“He's just too far gone...”

“I'm sorry...”

“We're sorry.”

“Just... stay with us.”

“We can take care of you.”

“We just...”

“Don't want to lose you again...”

“It's just been us for so long.”

“And you're here now and...”

“This was supposed to be a happy reunion but...”

“He had other plans.”

The group fell silent and waited. Kyuu continued massaging her shoulders and Naya and Devini soon finished applying unnecessary amounts staunching gel to her scratches.

2B simply let out a small whimper when they pulled away. “How come...”

“Hm?” A few of them responded.

She paused to take a deep, rattling breath. “H-h-how come none of you hate me too...? None of you are angry.” Her voice rose and increased in speed as she continued on. “Why? If you saw everything on that screen then... you saw how I treated every one of you! Why aren't any of you angry? Why don't any of you hate me? Why don't any of you want to h-hurt me... k-kill m-me? He... he can't be the only one...”

“2...” Iva started as she let out a choked sob.

“2B... 2B you know why.” Iny continued. “We forgive you _because_ of what we saw on that screen...”

“Most of us didn't even need to see it...” Added Koe, lightly touching the scar on his throat. “We all saw how you really were, we all saw how much this hurt you, we saw what a gentle, kind heart you have when you felt it was safe to show it. We...”

“It was _never_ safe to show it.” She snapped. “I should have never... no... I... I should have... ughh!” The room began to sway as her vision blurred and mind once again filled with static-filled memories of past regrets. She reached out and grappled for a hold... for something to anchor herself.

“I just... wanted to...” Strong, rough fingers weaved through hers and another pair of hands gripped her shoulders tighter to steady her... She couldn't remember who they belonged to... they all blended together in the haze of static...

“You... all of you... I...” Her chest tightened.

“It's my f-f-fault.” Her body shook.

“He... I... I should have...” ...Muscles weakening.

“I... I'm...” ...Vision... darkening...

“...” Stomach...

...Black... Box...

...H-h-hot...

The boys continued trying to comfort her, crowding in and only serving to overwhelm her more. It continued on, compounding more and more until...

“N-no no NO!” She screamed and wrenched herself from their grasps, stumbling over anyone and anything that blocked her path.

In a flash, she was outside tearing through the bushes and brambles off in some unknown direction with all eleven 9S scrambling to follow.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything that has happened became too much for 2B to handle; she panics and bolts out into the wilderness with the boys in tow.

2B charged through the forest, stumbling over rocks and smashing through the brush with surprisingly little grace for one like herself. The pursuing footsteps of the 9S' soon faded as she raced away faster than any of them were programmed to.

Brambles grabbed at her skin and tore at her dress and soon the sharp, volcanic rocks littered around the field she entered cut at her bare feet.

But she didn't care.

She didn't care.

She just had to run.

She had to run.

She didn't know where.

She just had to get away.

She was a monster.

She could only destroy and kill...

It was only a matter of time...

Before she had to do it again...

The field soon turned back to a much denser, warmer forest and she found herself struggling to find a path. The chaos of the vines and fallen trees only slowed her so much though. She could feel her systems heating up drastically and she knew she had to get to the next area in fear of being forced to stop and cool down. She couldn't stop, not now.

Not now.

YoRHa was...

9S was...

Nines...

None of this was real.

Was it the machines?

Was this a new virus?

Or was she being...

2B pushed on at full speed until a sudden blast of icy cold wind nearly stopped her in her tracks. She scrambled on, until not a minute later she exploded through the trees into a barren snowfield stretching out in all directions.

She couldn't see more than twenty or so feet in front of her as the harsh wind blasted thick clouds of snow straight at her. That didn't stop her as she pushed on through the gale until the forest was swallowed up behind her.

How did this happen?

Why was he?

How did he?

She didn't mean to...

But because of her...

He had become...

2B was so absorbed in the raging flurry of thoughts that she didn't see the rapidly-approaching cliff side until it was almost too late. She skidded to a halt mere inches from the edge and watched with wide eyes as chunks of ice and snow sprayed off the edge and were swallowed up by the abyss.

The precipice was completely smooth, extending downwards as far as she could see. The top was a ridiculously thick layer of snow and ice that abruptly transitioned into nearly black volcanic stone roughly fifty feet down. The wall continued on either side of her in an almost-perfect arc heading further out, then back towards the area she came from.

2B looked straight out towards the nonexistent horizon. The snow flying around turned the normally inky-black sky into more of a muddled gray. The swirling particles danced around and almost-recognizable images flashed in and out of existence.

There she stood, breathing heavily, mind racing as she stared off into space. The emptiness was almost more than she could handle and soon a primal urge bubbled up inside her chest until it threatened to burst.

So she opened her mouth and screamed.

She screamed, and screamed, and screamed into the endless void; the turbulent winds howled alongside her, all but drowning out her cries. She screamed until her vocal processor was strained to its limits and crackled and sizzled into silence. She screamed even though her voice was long gone and the only sounds that escaped her lips were silent hisses and sputtering coughs.

She was so preoccupied with everything that she didn't even register the biting cold worming its way deep into her body. Nor did she register the fluids inside her joints slowly crystallizing and locking her limbs in place.

Flashes of the past few hours and memories of the day not two months ago were the only things she was aware of. They bubbled and churned inside her mind, playing bits and pieces over and over in nonsensical orders.

It all went on for some unknown time and after she all but exhausted herself, 2B let her head droop limply down as her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

“I have... to go... back.” 2B wheezed, too quiet for anyone, including herself to hear through the gale. “I need... they need...” Her chest shuddered and spasmed as the frigid air began freezing the fluid in her lungs as well.

“Gotta...” She began to turn but found her legs would not respond; nothing below her chest would move more than a twitch and frost had already begun creeping up her bare ankles.

A new panic quickly set in; her blood ran cold at the thought of being frozen solid and trapped at the edge of this void with...

…

No, he wouldn't. He wouldn't take advantage of this moment to harm her... would he? He had so many chances back there to attack, but he didn't... and in the state, he was in he probably couldn't even make it this far out in the snow anyway.

The remaining fluid in her gut churned at the thought of it all ending in this place in this way.

…

Even though she deserved it...

She couldn't just leave the others behind so soon.

2B took a slow, deep breath and began carefully twisting her upper body around as far as she could. When she could turn no further, she used the last of her remaining strength to spin herself around while leaning as far from the edge as possible. She landed face first in the thick, hardened snow and quickly grappled for a rock or a root, anything she could use to drag herself further from the abyss, but there was nothing but snow and crumbling ice within reach.

Frustrated, 2B let out a sharp hiss and let her face fall back into the densely-packed snow. This would have to do, it seemed. At least she managed to get away from the edge as far as she could tell; her black box's heat output was enough to keep her vitals from freezing... everything else would be dealt with later when 9S found her...

...9S.

No...

_Devini, Kyuu, Iva..._

She coughed.

“D-devini... Kyuu... Iv-va... …” She pushed herself up as much as she could and began sliding forward, inch by inch...

“Ta...sa... no... Tara... Tisa...” She couldn't let them find her like this... not after what she put them through already.

“Naya... Koe...” If she just kept working her body like this she could eventually thaw it enough to stand and hobble out of this snowy hellscape.

“Naoi... 'Eiwa...” She glanced behind her as she commanded her legs to move. They gave her a small twitch in response and she doubled down her efforts.

“Iny...” Just a bit more.

“No...ve...” She slid her knees up under her and lifted her upper body out of the snow.

All she needed to do now was stand up and—

_CRACK_

Her body grew rigid and eyes blew wide open. The deafening sound reverberated through her entire being, it's epicenter directly beneath her.

She needed to move n—

_CRACK_

That was more than just a sound; a cacophony of smaller groans and crackles joined in as the ice beneath her shuddered and almost screamed.

2B pushed her body to its limits as she scrambled and dragged herself forward and—

_CRACK_

_CRACK_

_CRACK_

She threw herself forward as the ground gave way beneath her and cascaded over the edge. Her fingers dug deep into the snow but her heavy, artificial body was too much for the flaky ice sheets to hold and they crumbled in her hands. She grappled at everything she could, but the jagged, rock-hard ice only shattered her nails and scraped the skin from whatever it touched.

“Nines!” She cried out as the last bit of ice shattered in her hand.

 

 

...But nobody came...

 

And nothing stopped her from plunging into the inky blackness extending infinitely below her...

 

                        She fell...

                                                              and fell...

                                                                                              and fell...

                                        Until suddenly...

 

                ...everything went dark.

 

 

_Initiating reboot sequence . . ._

_Startup has encountered multiple issues. Attempting repair._

_Black Box temperature critically low: restore temperature to functioning levels._

_Auditory processor online with 3 critical issues found._

“2B...”A soft voice crackled through the wind and static.

_Nervous system booting..._

“2B can you hear me?” It was clearer now, but it was quickly drowned out by the harsh crunching of footsteps on snow. That and the howling wind threatened to push her already-fragile systems back over the brink. 2B couldn't feel much of anything outside of the gentle swaying of her body and the overwhelming noises assaulting her ears.

Who was...?

Where was she going...

...How did she...?

She focused her limited energy and pried her heavy eyelids open just a crack to gaze up into the bundled up face of 9S. Most of his features were covered by thick layers of fabric, but the striking blue eyes looking down at her were unmistakably him.

“2B, I see you, can you see me?”

_Yeah._

But... _which_ 9S was this?

How can she...?

Oh... right

Her gaze drifted to his forehead and she caught sight of a small pink sliver poking out from under his headscarf.

“Nnn... nn... ohh...” She shivered.

“Shh... It's ok 2B. I've got you.” Nove murmured as he trudged through the dense snow to the ancient truck waiting for them. He fumbled with the door handle until he managed to fling it open; the hot air that blasted out at her was quite a shock to her sluggish systems as her body slowly began to thaw. It was only then that she registered she was already bundled up tightly with what could have been around a half-dozen blankets.

Nove carefully slid her into the passenger's seat, being extra careful as he worked her stiff body into a sitting position. He flinched every time he heard a crackling noise coming from her joints, yet 2B's still-numb body felt nothing outside of the biting cold in her core and the stinging warmth on her cheeks.

As soon as she was safely secured they were off; the truck groaned and creaked as it fought the high winds and thick snow at an agonizingly slow pace. They sat in silence; Nove kept his eyes forward and body rigid.

2B couldn't do much more than watch listlessly as his body grew stiff and tense. Soon he had taken his bottom lip between his teeth and was unconsciously chewing the skin off layer by layer.

2B freed her hand from the bundles of blankets and reached out to him. Feeling was finally just starting to come back to her extremities, and with it came hundreds of faint, yet sharp pains in every joint. She ignored it as best she could and placed her hand on Nove's shoulder.

He jumped slightly at her touch and for the first time since the start of the drive, he finally glanced in her direction. It was then that she noticed tears were threatening to fall from his eyes and a small drop of blood was trickling down his chin and soaking into his scarf.

“Don't...” 2B murmured lethargically as her hand slid up along his cheek. She clumsily brushed her fingers under his eye then ran them back down his cheek until they came to a rest on the trail of blood on his lips.

She pulled her hand back and stared at her reddened fingers, still only half-able to process what she was seeing. He was hurting... why...?

Nove turned away and focused his eyes back on the road, clenching his jaw tightly shut and pulling his scarf back over his mouth. He took a deep breath, quickly wiping the tears from his eyes and flicking his hand.

“So...” He mumbled, voice almost too low to hear. “You tried to jump too, huh?”

2B turned her head to look at him as she slowly processed his words. The sudden shift from barren snowscape to winding forest road clawed at her attention and it took some effort to shift it back to the question at hand.

“...Jump?” She thought back to the moments before losing consciousness.

She remembered the biting cold and howling wind.

She remembered screaming... and feeling... no feeling...

Trying to run... trying to crawl...

Loud... noises... cracking...

Falling...

“No...” She finally shook her head. “F-fell... Ice... broke...”

“R-really?” He turned his head slightly to study her expression.

“Mmm.” She nodded, looking back at him.

“Oh...” He closed his eyes momentarily and sighed. “I thought... no... never mind. You really... just fell? I mean 'just' isn't probably the b-best word to use in this situation but... you just... I mean... you really didn't...” his voice quieted even more, “jump?”

“No... I cou—” Her voice caught in her throat and she pulled into herself more. “No...”

Nove slowed the truck to a stop and briefly rested his head on the steering wheel. He let out a shaky laugh and took a few more deep breaths before continuing.

“I'm so glad...” He nearly whispered. “I mean... I was so worried that you... did that on purpose.”

“I'm sorry...” She whimpered. “For that... and for running...”

“Don't be.” He sighed. “We... I mean I know we've said this so many times already, but we really do care about you and it's just... it's hard to just stand back and watch you like this but at the same time we know that it's overwhelming having all of us trying to help at once so—” He took a deep breath to slow himself. “We're sorry.”

“S'ok.” She mumbled. “But how did I...?”

“Get back up?” He finished after her voice trailed off. “I-it's just another one of those things about this place. You just kinda fall for a while and then wake up somewhere nearby... But oh god 2B please be more careful next time! What if it didn't do that? What If you—no never mind, forget it, you're here and you're safe and we're going to get you warmed up and fixed up real soon and that's all that matters.” He started the truck again and resumed winding through the narrow road to their unknown destination.

“Where... we going?”

“You'll see in a minute.” He smiled softly. “I'm sure you're in for a pleasant surprise.”

A minute was barely an exaggeration; they soon cleared the last few trees and came to a stop at a very familiar hot-springs.

“This is...” She murmured as her eyes scanned the four small, somewhat natural pools that were collected in the shallow remains of an ancient explosion. A small, three-walled shack in much nicer shape than she last saw, sat on the edge of the depression roughly ten feet from the nearest steaming pool. Countless towels were neatly folded up on a table against the far wall of the building.

“I remember... 9S... Naoi and I went here... a few times.”

“Mhm. He told us all about it, and we've all gotten a lot of use out of it since he came here.” Nove jumped from the driver's seat and ran over to 2B's side and opened the door. The mildly unpleasant, yet vaguely nostalgic scent of sulfur filled her nose and brought back memories of her time together with Naoi all those years ago.

“All right, let's get you properly thawed out.” Nove said as he cautiously began peeling the seemingly infinite layer of blankets off 2B. The temperature had increased drastically since leaving the snowfield not five minutes ago; it was almost as warm as the truck with the heater on full-blast.

Most of her body was still ice-cold, however, and what she could feel now was tingling with increasingly unpleasant, pins and needle sensations.

“Can you stand?”

2B attempted to exit the vehicle but found she could still just barely shift her legs. She bit back a yelp as the pins and needles flared up in her hips, so she leaned back and sighed and shook her head.

“Shit, does it hurt a lot?” Nove asked, reaching out to her.

“It's fine.” She groaned.

“Ok, ok. Well, we probably should get you settled quick... it's likely going to get worse before it gets better, but your body should be able to repair itself fairly quickly... Can I?” He placed his hand below her knees and on her upper back. 2B nodded and he carefully slipped his arms under her and lifted her out of the truck. He made his way to the nearest pool and stepped inside, clothes and all.

“Tell me if any of this hurts too much, ok?” He murmured, dipping just her feet into the water.

“I can sort of feel it.”

Nove nodded and found a shallow ledge and slowly lowered her down, propping her up against a rock with most of her upper body still above the steaming water. He leaned up next to her and took one of her hands in his and gently massaged her fingers, alternating between stretching her digits and dipping them momentarily into the spring. The superficial scrapes along her fingertips were already starting to heal up, but her shattered nails still exposed the softer skin underneath.

2B clenched her jaw as the heat quickly thawed the rest of her lower body; the mild discomfort soon turned to stabbing pain in every submerged joint. She kept her eyes on Nove, who continued to silently tend to her, his face pulled into a tight expression.

“How are you now?” He asked as he moved to her other hand.

“Fine.” She groaned.

 _“2B.”_ He looked up at her and studied the stiff expression on her face; he could clearly tell it wasn't stiff because of the cold.

“Mmm... It hurts.” She sighed.

“Where is it worse?”

“Ankles.”

“And how are your hands?”

“Better.”

Nove nodded and put her hand down to soak and waded out to where her legs disappeared beneath the murky water. His fingers ran along her thigh and down her calf until they pulled her foot up to him, making sure to keep her ankle as still as possible.

He repeated the process with her legs and worked his way around her body in near silence for the next half-hour or so. The pain in her joints grew to a peak and gradually subsided with his tender dedication and the gentle warmth of the springs. She let herself relax and close her eyes as his questioning voice put her in a strange, yet welcome sense of ease.

By the time he was finished, she had shifted down to where just her head was above water and resting on the towel he placed behind her. The pain was still there but had reduced itself to a dull throb that was somewhat ignorable. Nove had settled beside her, still fully clothed, minus a few layers. He leaned back to lay his head on a matching towel after assuring 2B was as comfortable as he could make her.

2B closed her eyes and faced the empty sky and sighed. Her mind had significantly cleared and with it came flashes of muddled, confusing memories of the past few hours.

 

_I don't... about your excuses. I don't care!_

_It's not your fault... you didn't mean for any of this to happen..._

_Don't you dare call me that. I was never 'Nines' to you._

_W_ _e're all just... so happy to see you finally._

_It's all her fault I'm like this!_

_We don't hate you, we could never._

_It's all her fault you're like this!_

_2B are you ok, did he hurt you?_

_No matter how much they treat you like a goddess, you're still just a monster._

_We forgive you._

_We forgive you._

_We forgive you._

 

“N-Nines?” She murmured.

“Hm?” He opened his eyes and turned his head towards her.

“Thank you. For everything.”

He smiled and slid just a bit closer to her. “I'll always be there for you. I'm here to provide support, remember?”

_I'm here to provide support._

“Y-yeah.”

“2B?”

“Mmm?”

“I don't want to push but... whenever you're ready to talk, I'm here to listen.”

“Right... I...” She squeezed her eyes shut again and groaned.

“B-but if you just want to rest more then that's fine too.”

“No, no, it's fine... just...” She put her head in her hands, letting the warm water run down her face.

“You're all so... so happy to see me despite... it's just... I don't understand. Even after everything I've done... I just can't understand how... it all seems perfectly ok with everyone but him... Nothing feels real and it's just... I'm... a-afraid.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“Of?”

“I don't know, so many things could happen. I don't understand this place. I don't understand how any of this works. The eleven of you... you all care so much... it just seems too good to be true, but at the same time... he... _I don't know what to make of any of this!_ ” She reached up and tugged at her hair as her breathing became more erratic. Nove tensed up and reached out towards her shoulder but stopped just shy of it. He pulled back and stared at his hand just under the water, watching the refraction warp his image over and over. Finally, he took a deep breath and spoke.

“I guess... telling you everything is ok and none of us were hurt by your... by what you did isn't really what you need right now, is it?”

2B shook her head slowly after a long pause. Her grip loosened on her hair and her hands lowered back into the water.

“Heh...” He sighed deeply. “I figured... I was just... hoping we could... that we didn't have to deal with all this heavy stuff so soon... But I guess in the end that just made things worse... I'm so sorry, 2B.”

“Nines... You... all of you are so kind and... forgiving, and understanding and I... I'm just...”

“You're kind, and forgiving, and understanding.” Nove finished. “You're graceful and strong and fast. You're—”

“ _Nines_.”

“Sorry.” He let out a half-laugh. “I couldn't resist...”

2B tried to smile back, but couldn't manage more than a small lip twitch.

“I guess you want to know everything now, don't you?”

She nodded again. “I have to know the truth... I have to know how you really feel. I have to know how I can make things right... _if_ I can make things right.”

“Wait 2B, I don't want to imply any of us secretly hate you or anything... Most of us forgave you pretty quickly. It's just... we all have things we want to talk to you about. Things that we regret... things we wish had changed... things we wish you did or didn't do... It's all things that will heal with time and a good heart-to-heart or two.” He took her hand in his and began squeezing gently and repeatedly. Despite helping to relax her body slightly, her mind buzzed with darker and darker thoughts.

“But... not him...” She sighed. “A simple talk isn't going to fix what I did to him...”

Nove started and stopped several times, opening his mouth to speak but deciding against it at the last second.

“He... I...” He stuttered. “2B... when I first came here I was scared, and I was alone... there was... all I had was just the home base with the screen and the forest around it. I was trapped in such a small area and... forced to watch my killer get partnered up with someone who looked and acted exactly like me.”

2B lowered her eyes and sunk lower into the water. Nove's voice was soft and held no anger or hatred in it, yet her stomach still churned as he continued on.

“I... being alone here... I started to become frustrated and... and even a bit angry at you... You were out there with 'me'... going on missions like nothing happened. I tried to keep myself busy here and ignore it... sometimes... but there's only so many times you can go over the same old data before wanting to fling it all off the edge...” He signed again and squeezed her hands tighter.

“So I kinda just... jumped between ignoring it all and obsessively watching you and I just had so many conflicting feelings. I wanted to be... alive again... out in the real world with you. I wanted to spend more time with you. Even though it was hard fighting all the time... and you were... cold to me... I just... I missed that connection with another person.” Nove's voice began to waver and he shifted his gaze away.

“And then like... I saw how you were getting closer to Iva than to me... I could tell you cared about him more... Like that time he got his leg fucked up. You were talking so gently to him as you patched him up and then you held his hand as you waited for help...

“But when I got hurt like that you didn't do that for me. You just put some staunching gel on and waited nearby and I just... I got so... jealous of him and I almost... I almost wanted him to get hurt again but then that would mean... well...” His body had become tense and his voice was shakier than ever.

“And I knew it was wrong to feel that way because I was the first 9S you were partnered with and only with you for two-and-a-half months before... well... I mean it was bound to happen... you getting closer to the next 9S... and the next... but I wish I had that... I was so alone, 2B.

“I was here for five months... and then when Iva got here... I should have been happy to finally have someone else here... and in a way I was but like... I could have been a lot nicer to him. I tried, I really did, but he knew that there... I'm sure he could tell I was j-jealous.” Nove squeezed 2B's hand again and again as he worked to blink rapidly-forming tears from his eyes.

2B's chest tightened and she shifted her body closer to him, pressing her shoulder up against his and squeezing his hand back. A small smile crept on his face as he relaxed slightly and worked to even out his breathing.

“We worked it out eventually. After we saw you hug Tara we had a long talk about everything. And we promised we would welcome future 9S with open arms and just hope that one day the cycle would be broken. We just... we wanted you to be happy first and foremost. And it was pointless to be angry at anyone for getting closer than we did.” He let out another sigh and rested his head on her shoulder.

“It's been over six years since I first came here. A lot has happened since then. This place has grown so much and we've learned a lot about ourselves... We all have conflicting thoughts and feelings... and wrongs we need to right... and so many things we need to talk about with you. But despite everything... well...” He let out a small laugh.

“It's funny though... we're all 9S but we all have our differences that set us apart from the others. But we all have one major thing in common... we all really...” He took a deep breath. “2B, we all. Really. Love you.” Nove paused and slowly shifted his gaze back up to 2B's face. Her cheeks had taken on a rosy hue and he reached out and lightly ran his fingers along her jawline. Such a tender gesture was almost... intoxicating to 2B as her head swam with everything she had just heard. But before she could formulate a response, he continued.

“And I'm sure... somewhere in the 9S you just met... somewhere deep down those feelings are still there... and with enough time and effort, he'll be able to heal too. And I know it won't be easy... and we're all going to make mistakes... we already have, really.

“Some of the others think he's a lost cause, but I don't. I just think he needs some time... we all do. I think for right now, the best thing to do is just wait. Everyone's a bit unstable now. So just... stay with us. Stay with us and let us show you how much we care.”

“Nines?” She mumbled weakly.

“Yeah?”

“I messed up.”

Nove let out a small gasp and he quietly chewed his bottom lip. It was still raw from earlier but had healed enough that it didn't open up and bleed all over again.

“You... you did your best.”

“I could have done better!” She snapped. “I should have checked for the b-bodies myself! I should have... I should have—”

“2B...” Nove murmured, squeezing her hands again in a gentle, slow rhythm. “Yeah... yeah there's a lot of things you could have done differently. Things that might have made things easier, or given us more time... but who cares? You never tried to harm or upset any of us on your own volition. You did the best you could given the circumstances you were forced into. That's what matters to us. You don’t have to be perfect, we just want you to be here.” He worked his hand up behind her head and through her hair, gently pulling her even closer. “We have all the time in the world to make things right.”

“I... I guess...” She mumbled. “I can try...”

Nove shook his head. “You _can._ You're the strongest person I've ever met. You kept going even though it was destroying you inside. You stayed by our sides even though it caused you so much pain. You can stay strong for all of us... and if you need to be weak, you can be weak, and we'll all be here to carry you until you can carry yourself again.”

“I-I...”

“You can do this. I believe in you.”

_I believe in you._

“I... I...”

Where had she heard that before?

She closed her eyes and dug through her memories.

 

 

 

> “9S! 9S can you hear me!?” 2B screamed as she rushed to the collapsed building.
> 
> “I'm okay!” He called out from underneath the rubble. “Just some cuts and—shit... my legs'r stuck.”
> 
> 2B made her way over to where his voice was strongest and began tossing slabs of concrete and metal away until his dust-covered body was partly exposed. He grinned sheepishly up at her and smacked at the thick pipe pinning his legs to the ground.
> 
> “Man, I got some luck today.” He laughed. “That could have easily crushed my legs to oblivion.”
> 
> 2B bit her lip as she eyed the multi-tonned object in front of her. She was strong, but was she strong enough to move it before more machines arrived to finish them off. She shook her head and grabbed the free end without another word and pulled. The pipe barely shifted before she had to set it back down in fear of losing her grip and dropping it.
> 
> “Shit, this is...”
> 
> “Alert: Machine lifeforms detected, approximately thirty-four approaching this position between ”
> 
> Panic began to set in. She tried again, and again, but it barely budged. If she couldn't get him out in one piece quickly, she would have to... No. No, she couldn't. Not when there's no medics within miles. She bit down harder on her lip and took a shaky step back.
> 
> “2B, you can do it.” 9S smiled reassuringly. “I believe in you.”
> 
> “You...”
> 
> “You just need to hold it up for a few seconds, that's it. I can get out myself and we can retreat and regroup.”
> 
> 2B closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You're right, it's just a few seconds, no problem. I can do this.” She positioned herself as best she could around the fallen metal and heaved...

 

_I believe in you._

“2B?” Nove's concerned voice brought 2B back to reality.

“Y-yeah... yeah, I can... I can do it... If I have all of you by my side, I can do this. I can make things right... somehow.” The last word wavered with uncertainty, but she looked at Nove with as assuring expression as she could muster. She leaned even closer to him until she could feel his breath on her face, cooling her warm cheeks ever so slightly. His fingers twitched in her hair and he pressed his forehead against hers lightly.

“As long as we're together, everything will heal.” Nove closed his eyes and sighed softly. 2B pressed back against him briefly then pulled back. Her eyes drifted to his reddened lip and a pang of guilt flashed in her chest before she pushed it back with an idea. She reached up and brushed her thumb against the bite and leaned in closely.

“I can...” She whispered. “Help this heal too.”

Nove gasped and tensed up just a bit, eyes widening. “Y-you mean...?” 2B nodded and moved a little closer, closing her eyes almost all the way. Nove almost immediately relaxed and took a slow, deep breath before leaning in the final inch and lightly brushing his lips against hers.

It was as if an invisible spark jumped between the two of them and sent a shiver down both their spines. Nove pulled back for the briefest moment before going back in for more, savoring the warmth of her mouth on his.

2B took his chewed lip lightly in her teeth and ran her tongue along the bite, carefully feeling each imperfection and tasting the last remnants of metallic blood that still clung to his reddened skin. He leaned in even more when she finished; his courage grew and he started cautiously testing her with his tongue. She opened her mouth and he began to explore everything within reach before pulling back out to plant more light kisses on her lips and along her chin.

As he danced around her skin with surprising skill, he worked his hands through her hair and tugged gently, yet needily as she mirrored his actions. One hand came down her back and pulled her closely; he broke the kiss to simply hold her in an embrace and rest his head against her shoulder.

She did the same for him and they remained quiet for the next few moments, only breaking the silence to let out the occasional satisfied sigh.

“How do you feel?” She whispered in his ear.

“Much better.” He murmured.

“I'm glad.”

“That was wonderful, I didn't expect to feel that much from a simple kiss.”

“You were wonderful too. That wasn't your first time, was it?” She hummed.

“Heh... well... about that.” He chuckled nervously. “One of the perks of being here alone with a bunch of other me's is well... uh...”

“You practiced on each other, didn't you?” She snorted.

“Heheh... yeah.” He coughed, face growing even redder than before.

2B brought her hand to her eyes and smiled as she shook her head slowly. “Niiines.”

“What? We got curious.”

“I know. That's just... something you would do.” She laughed.

“Hey, what's that supposed to mean?”

2B answered by bumping her forehead against Nove's then pulling him in for one more quick kiss. “Come on, I think I'm ready to go back home now.”

 

 

_Stupid leg, stupid 9S, stupid... 2B._

_Fuck them all._

_Saying they're gonna fix me up..._

_And then kicking me when I'm down._

_They're just like her._

_Just climbing all over themselves for their killer's attention._

_Fuck them._

_And her._

_Getting pampered and coddled by her little fan club._

_She's probably forgotten about me already..._

_Surrounded by..._

_People that..._

_Care about her..._

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2B has a heart-to-heart with 'Eiwa about their past together.

_Alert the medics, we have a new one!_

_We found him at the bottom of the ravine; he's in pretty bad shape._

_Wait, YoRHa? I thought they all died off._

_Not this one. Virus scans come up clean too._

_He's one of YoRHa's best scanners so maybe he figured out how to remove it._

_Wait, isn't that the guy that's always with that combat android?_

_Yeah, what happened to her? Did she..._

_Yeah..._

_Oh..._

_Oh..._

_Poor guy..._

_Those two looked so close..._

 

 

“Hey, 2B?” 'Eiwa's soft voice gently pulled 2B's attention from the screen in the clearing.

“Yeah?” She murmured, gazing back at the 9S approaching her from camp. She smiled weakly before flashing a glance back at the screen. The 9S she left alone in the outside world lay silent and still on the bright yellow cot in the Resistance camp. Several Resistance members, including Devola and Popola, talked about him in hushed whispers as they decided what to do with him.

“You've been there for a while now. Are you... er... How are you holding up?” He sat down beside her and waited quietly for her to answer.

“I missed seeing them find him.” She murmured as she rolled a stray blade of grass between her fingers absentmindedly.

“I know... you saw the recording though, right?”

She nodded slightly. “It's not the same.”

“D-don't worry 2B. We'll keep a closer eye on it so you don't miss him waking up. It'll be at least two weeks before he's repaired enough to reactivate... so... let's go for a walk for now, ok?” He smiled softly and held his hand out for her.

2B stared at his outstretched palm for a long moment before slowly reaching out and taking it. 'Eiwa's smile widened and he pulled her to her feet and waited patiently for her to brush the grass and dirt from the back of her airy sundress. Despite being spotted with light stains and stitched back together after the chaotic first day, 2B had quickly grown fond of the dress and how much freedom it afforded her.

“Say, 2B?” 'Eiwa murmured. “Is there anything in particular you feel like doing right now? Like I have a few games we could play, and there's some movies we managed to salvage from across all our areas.”

“Well... you haven't shown me your special place yet.”

“You really wanna go there now?”

“Of course.” She smiled softly.

'Eiwa beamed and nodded, taking her hand without another word and rushed them off into a new direction.

“It's not too far from here. I hope it means as much to you as it does to me.”

The two wove their way through the dense brush to the top of a small hill and peered down. A small riverside camp came into view and hit 2B with a strong wave of nostalgia. The wide river flowed lazily along and light from the invisible sun danced across the minute ripples across its surface. Along the banks to her right was the same small lean-to they had taken shelter at years ago.

“I remember this place.” She murmured.

She turned to 'Eiwa who was looking expectantly at her. “We stayed here for a few days when that machine injured your leg. It was the first time I... Oh...”

'Eiwa smiled and nodded. “It was the first time you called me _Nines_.”

A small smile grew on 2B's face and she could feel her cheeks growing hotter. “So this is the place most special to you?”

“Well, duh.” He teased. His smile faded slightly and he looked toward the shelter. “I had always been worried that you didn't really like me... but that time... you showed me how much you did care.” He carefully made his way down the hill to the camp and sat in the shade of the overhang. 2B followed closely and curled up next to him.

“I could tell the others were jealous.” He smirked. “Especially Naoi.”

“Jealous?”

“Heh... yeah... Nove and Iva were the most welcoming, to be honest. Naoi kinda of was... I guess... distant with me. And kinda short-tempered sometimes. I don't know. I felt we weren't really on the same page for a while.”

“He was?” 2B gasped softly. “I'm sorry. I didn't think...”

“It's ok 2B.” He smiled. “There was no way you'd know. Plus, it's a lot better now that there's more of us. I guess we all figured that even though you called me Nines first, it still ende—” He gasped and bit his lip quickly. “I mean... we worked it all out. Hehheh...” 2B shifted her eyes down and opened her mouth to speak but 'Eiwa continued.

“Anyway...” His voice lowered. He picked up a small stone and rolled it around in his rough hand. “Is it ok if...” He threw the pebble over his head and watched it land with a tiny splash near the far riverbank. “Well... there's some things I want to get off my chest. Is now a good time to talk?”

2B paused for a short moment as her eyes traced over the uneven patchwork of scars covering most of his body. She nodded slowly after he shifted nervously in his seat, pulling at his pants to cover more of his leg. “Yeah. Whatever you need to say, say it. No matter how long it takes, I'll be here to listen.”

“Heh... Thanks, 2B.” 'Eiwa smiled softly, letting his arms relax and drop to his sides.

“Anyway...” He mumbled. “Well... How'd you come up with the name 'Nines'? And... why was I the first?”

“I...” 2B traced her finger around the rocks in the sand. “Naoi thought of it, actually. Not 'Nines' itself, but... well... not long before I had to... kill him, he was reading to me from some book on old human traditions. He said that humans would often give nicknames to those they were close to. He wanted us to think of names for each other... but I said no. I didn't want to keep getting closer to you... him... all of you. A nickname would have just made it that much harder to follow orders.

“But... when I got the order not even a week later, I couldn't stop thinking about what he said. 'Nines' just kinda... came to me one day, and I never wanted to say it out loud but... when you got hurt during that battle near here... I guess I let my guard down and it slipped out...”

“Heh... I guess that explains the jealousy.” He snorted. “I'm glad though... I mean... I'm glad you came up with 'Nines'.”

2B pulled her knees close to her body and pressed her face into her arms. “I'm glad too... Of all the Nines I could give that name to first... I'm happy it was you.”

“Really?” He gasped. “How so?”

“I don't know.” She sighed. “I guess... I guess I felt a little more relaxed around you... You didn't... hmm... Just being around you felt different, I guess... not bad, just... different. Like... you weren't going to try to push closer after that.” She groaned and squeezed her knees tighter. “That's not really the best wording.”

“Hmm... I think I understand.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, I guess I had the feeling that I knew you before... like we were close friends in a past life... guess I was sort of right on that. So I just went with it. I guess I was just worried about pushing too far and making you uncomfortable or something... or maybe it was just me...”

“What do you mean?”

“Er... nothing, never mind. That didn't make any sense, did it?”

2B shook her head.

“Sorry. I guess I just really enjoyed being your partner... and friend... and didn't want any assumptions or poorly-worded talk to jeopardize that.”

“Mmm...” 2B hummed. When a response failed to come to her, she simply nodded and stared out at the rippling water.

“Can I ask you some questions too?”

“Of course.” He nodded.

“So... When I called you Nines the first time... did you know... that I...?” Her voice trailed off.

“Sort of... I knew something was up... I just didn't know what yet.”

“Oh.” They went silent again. “And when you did find out... what were you going to do about it?”

“I... Well... I didn't want to believe it at first. I just... kinda ignored it for a few days... until I hacked into the Bunker's servers and... well...” He rubbed his hand up and down his rough arm and began unconsciously picking at a raised scar.

“...Did it hurt?”

“Huh? Er... Well... I mean...” He let go of his arm and placed his hands back in his lap. “When you shot me down it was just... one moment I was just there flying above the water, and then all of a sudden I wasn't. I didn't even see it coming... It just... ended... But... When I woke up... I wasn't fully healed yet... it hurt... a lot. It hurt so much. It was like my whole body was on fire. It didn't last very long but... I couldn't move... I couldn't see. I could barely hear for what felt like days... but the others told me it wasn't even an hour before I stopped... screaming.

“It took almost two hours for the pain to go away completely... but I still... for the longest time I was... I was really messed up. I didn't want anyone near me. I just kinda ran off somewhere... I don't really remember where but I found a shack or something and curled up for a couple days.

“The others kept trying to check up on me... but I just yelled at them all to leave me alone.

“I was... I didn't think you'd actually do it... I didn't think you would go through with it. I was... gonna confront you about it after we landed, actually. But I guess that didn't happen... hahhhah...”

“Nines... I...”

“I had an escape plan and everything... It wasn't a very good plan but... We could have been together for a few days at least... I wanted to see who you really were without YoRHa telling you how to act...

“I realize that was a pretty selfish wish though... since they would have wiped you too. But... I don't know. Maybe we could have thought of something better if we put our heads together... eh... probably not.”

2B shook her head. “I've thought of so many ways to escape... None of them would have given more than a few weeks of freedom. E-units are... well... for every one idea I had on defecting... I had a thousand more on how the others would hunt us down.

“There's a reason E-units never fail more than once...”

'Eiwa flinched at those words. “That's... not actually true.” He said quietly.

“Huh?”

“There's actually one person that's managed to escape you many times... A2.”

“A2? But... I only fought her once... wait...”

He shook his head solemnly. “Command lied to you... they lied to every E-unit about their failed kills. You've fought her about six times if I remember right. But every time she killed you, they would make up something to make you think it was a job well done. They'd say that another E-unit killed her shortly after, or you were on a team and were the only casualty, or just plain say a machine killed you... They lied so much.”

“No...” She gasped, shaking her head in disbelief. “But... are you saying we could've...”

“Well...” He flipped another stone into the river. “I don't really... it's not quite the same with us... You know how Iny managed to defect for a few weeks before he came back to you?”

2B nodded faintly.

“They sent so many E-units after him... so many more than they ever sent after A2... because the things he learned... the things we all learned from hacking into the Bunker's private servers... well... they couldn't let that slide as easily as a simple runaway prototype.”

“...What were those things? What did you keep finding that made them order me to kill you over and over and over again?”

“...That's...” 'Eiwa shifted nervously in his seat. “...That's a discussion we all need to have together another day...”

“Oh...”

“A-anyway...” He coughed. “What I was trying to say was... well... I don't know... It wouldn't have worked... and I knew that, but it took me a while to really accept it. That world had no place for us to just be free.”

2B closed her eyes and sighed.

“2B?”

“I knew Command was lying to us about a lot of things... I didn't know _what_ exactly... but I knew a lot of things didn't quite add up... I just... never questioned them... I never questioned them because I kept telling myself it was for the good of Humanity... and I know what happens when you ask too many questions... but still... it hurt never knowing if something was the truth or a lie.”

'Eiwa flinched and bit his lips at her words. “Y-yeah... I get that.” He stuttered. “You're doing ok now, 2B. You did what you could, and that's all any one of us could really ask in a world like this.”

2B averted her eyes and dug her fingers into the sand until they wrapped around a decently-sized, flattish stone. “I guess.” She mumbled as she hurled it to the other side of the river; it landed on the bank and bounced a few times before sinking into the silt.

“Aww...” 'Eiwa whined as his eyes followed the rock across.

“Huh?”

“Oh.” He gasped. “Sorry, that was just a perfect stone to skip across and you just tossed it.”

“I'm sorry...”

“No, no! It's fine... now's not really the time to be thinking about rock throwing. Sorry.”

“Heh.” 2B snorted; a small smile crept on her face. “If you want to show me how to do it right, I don't mind.”

“Really?” He lit up. “Yeah, hold on.” He looked around and grabbed a similar rock from nearby.

“See you gotta kinda... flick your wrist like this.” He tossed the rock out and it skipped across the river four or five times before disappearing below the waves.

“Like this?” 2B grabbed another one and tried to emulate his motions, but the rock plopped awkwardly in the water. She snorted and grabbed another one and tried again, but the result was the same.

“Don't worry, it takes some practice.” 'Eiwa assured, showing her one more time.

She tried again, and again, but she wasn't making much headway. The two kept at it for a while, walking up and down the bank as they searched for more skipping stones.

“Hey, 2B?” His soft voice finally broke the silence.

“Yes?” She turned to him after yet another perfectly flat stone splashed down.

“Can you promise me something?”

Her body tensed slightly at those words but she forced herself to relax again. “What is it?”

“Don't... go trying to talk to him for a while.” He murmured. “I know you've been leaving things for him by the pit, but I think it'd be better for everyone if you didn't get any closer until he's had more time to cool off. He's still unpredictable and I'd hate for him to lash out at you again.”

2B looked away and tossed another stone into the water. “I... don't know if I can promise that... but I'll try.”

“That's... fair...” He mumbled. “Sorry for bringing that up out of the blue like that, I was just thinking back and don't want to see you hurt again.”

“It's fine.” She sighed. “I just don't want to see him hurting anymore.”

“I know... but the way Stinky is now, I feel like giving him space is the best option for now. He hasn't taken any of the things you left him, right?”

“Not since last time I checked...” She shook her head. “...Wait... Stinky?”

'Eiwa gasped and covered his mouth. “I... uh... that's kinda what we've been calling him because... well... he stinks.” He shrugged nervously, averting his gaze and searching for another rock.

“ _Nines._ ” She sighed softly.

“What? I don't think he really cares.” He mumbled. “He turned down all the real names we offered him.”

“Nothing,” she sighed again, “just... be kind to him. He doesn't need anyone else kicking him while he's down.” She tried to skip another rock but failed once again.

“I know. He—waugh!” 'Eiwa screamed and stumbled backward as 2B grabbed a rock almost as big as him and lobbed it into the water, splashing water and silt and sand everywhere.

“Careful 2B! You almost got mud on my nice clean pants.”

2B couldn't hold back a smile at his flustered reaction, so she continued chucking the biggest stones she could find over her head. The smile didn't stay for long as her mind began wandering into darker territories.

“I have to talk to him soon.” She murmured.

“I know... I just want you to be careful.”

“I know.”

“Anyway...” He skipped another rock seven times. “I think that's enough serious talk for now. We have all the time in the world for that later. Now... I wanna see you throw the biggest rock you can lift in there.”

2B paused for a moment before nodding and letting the small smile return to her face. She glanced around the bank for a moment before her eyes caught sight of a large fallen tree roughly a hundred feet downstream. She raced over and tugged at it, straining her muscles to the limit to free it from the muck. It came loose with an unsettling wet sucking sound and she wasted no more time wrapping her arms around it and lifting it high over her head.

'Eiwa stood nearby with his jaw hanging loosely as he eyed the full size of the tree. He probably couldn't even wrap his arms around the trunk and here she was lifting it with just a moderate amount of effort.

She leaned back and put all her strength into throwing it almost halfway across the river. The splash was so great that they both could feel the residual spray misting their faces from all the way up the bank.

“How was that?” She turned to him and smiled, wiping the dirt and sand on her dress. 'Eiwa's eyes were still blown wide and his jaw hung slack for a moment before he shook his head and looked at her.

“Throw me.”

“What?”

“Throw me!”

“In the river?”

“Yeah!”

“But I don't know how deep that water is.”

“It's fine,” he smiled, “trust me.”

“All right.” She said nervously before scooping him up and lifting him high over her head. “Ready?”

'Eiwa swayed and waved his arms around slightly to regain his balance. “Ready!” He chirped.

2B leaned back and hurled him into the center of the river. He gave an excited yelp as he flew through the air and splashed down. He disappeared below the surface, and 2B's breath hitched in her throat before he resurfaced a few seconds later.

'Eiwa pushed up from the bottom and oriented himself on his back. He flipped his soaking, sloppy hair out of his face as he lazily turned to face 2B.

“See? It's fine!” He assured, waving excitedly at her. “A bit cold though.”

“Wait, how are you not sinking?” She gestured at him, confused.

“Huh? Oh, right, another one of Limbo's weird... qualities. Didn't you notice in the hot springs?”

“Well...” She mumbled, thinking back to the talk she had with Nove a few days prior. Between the thawing of her entire body and the emotionally draining conversation, she didn't have much energy to spare for anything else. But thinking back on it with a clearer mind, she could recall her body felt... lighter... after her sensory systems came back online.

“I wasn't exactly in the right state to be very observant then.”

“Ah... right.” 'Eiwa chuckled nervously. “A-anyway, do you want to join me? It's not exactly warm, but I can teach you how to swim!”

“I don't know...”

“Come on, it'll be fine! We all come down to swim every once in a while... except Koe... he usually just stays home or reads by the lean-to.” 'Eiwa jumped out of the water as high as he could before splashing back down in an exaggerated manner. He resurfaced and shook the water from his hair before beckoning 2B over from the shallows.

“You know what, why not?” She shrugged. 'Eiwa let out an excited yelp in response, but his grin quickly turned into a look of pure shock as 2B reached down and began pulling her dress off.

“W-wait!” He screamed. “Y-you don't have to take those off if you don't want to! The water's clean enough, and uh... we normally go in our clothes anyway when we swim!”

2B paused with her dress already halfway over her head and looked at him quizzically. His face had immediately grown beet red and his eyes were focused on a large boulder far to her left.

“If you say so.” She shrugged and let it fall back down before stepping up to the edge of the river. 'Eiwa shook his head clear and dunked back under one more time before wading over to her and extending his hand. She took it and he slowly led her into the shallows.

The first few steps weren't so bad; they didn't feel much different than all the thousands of puddles she raced through in her life. A bit chilly, but nowhere near how cold she's been in the past.

It was only when the water started lapping at her thighs that apprehension started worming its way through her. Still, 'Eiwa's calm demeanor and reassuring smile led her on until the water was up to her chest.

“How is it?”

“It's not bad.”

“Do you feel lighter now?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “It's... harder to keep my balance.”

“Yeah, you'll get used to that. It's good this river's not very fast or super cold; it's a good place to learn.”

2B nodded and 'Eiwa pulled her closer to grasp her forearm with his other hand.

“Wanna try floating?”

“I guess?”

'Eiwa's smile grew wider. “Ok, I'll keep you steady, just kinda, lean back and let your legs float up. Like... stiffen your body a bit and try to lie flat.”

2B nodded and did as he said. His hand came up behind her back and pushed upward as her legs lifted from the bottom. She flailed her arms as her head partially submerged in the water, but 'Eiwa tightened his grip on her forearm until she steadied herself again.

“This is really weird.” She gasped.

“You ok though?”

“Yeah... it's just... something to get used to.”

“Mhm... I'm sure once you get the basics done, you'll really grow to like swimming. It's really fun, especially with friends.”

“I'm sure it is.” She smiled.

The two spent the next hour or so in the river, switching between practicing swimming and just splashing around playfully in the shallows. 2B did her best to push the earlier heavy conversation to the backburner to just enjoy the moment alone with 'Eiwa, but bits and pieces flashed back in her mind the moment she wasn't completely distracted by his antics.

'Eiwa seemed to notice as well; every time her smile faded even a little, he would breach the water and shower her in a chilly spray. She would yelp in shock and splash water back in his face in response.

“Hey, 2B?” He mumbled as he floated downstream on his back.

“Hm?”

“Thank you for joining me. I haven't had this much fun in a long time.”

“I'm glad... that you're having fun.” She smiled, floating along not far from him. “This is nice.”

“Oi!” Another 9S called from the hillside, making both 2B and 'Eiwa splash back upright in shock. She looked to see Kyuu, followed by Tisa and Devini making their way down the sandy incline, waving excitedly, wearing nothing but their shorts and crude sandals.

“Mind if we join you? It's getting a bit toasty back at camp.”

“Yes, please.” 2B smiled and waved back. “The water is amazing.”

'Eiwa let out a nearly-inaudible snort before nodding and beckoning them over. “Yeah, sure.”

In a flash, the three kicked their shoes off and splashed into the water nearby.

“You all right, 2B?” Kyuu asked as he approached her and quickly swept her off her feet. She squeaked and grabbed his arm as he spun her around in the water before setting her back down again. “You were here for a while so I was getting a bit worried, but it looks like you've been enjoying yourself.”

“I...” She began but stopped as she caught sight of the remaining seven boys rushing over the hillside, each carrying an ungodly amount of towels. Her eyes softened and she smiled at the sight of them and the four already surrounding her.

“I'm doing okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also if yall want some 9S on 9S on 9S on 9S on 9S action, check out my friend's fic he wrote for Limbo.  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/15181064


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2B tries to help 9S but runs into multiple challenges on the way, finally learning what happened to him all those months ago... among other things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playback story written (mostly) by MeetTheTank. Shes gr8 so go check her good shit out, it's good shit!

_You want to leave him gifts?_

_Hoping he'll try to repair himself?_

_That's a good idea but..._

_I'm not sure if he'll even touch them._

_It won't hurt to try though._

_But..._

_2B, please be careful._

_He's not predictable._

_He likes to wander._

_When he's not at his... special place._

_It's..._

_It's where he died..._

_You know..._

_The Pit..._

 

 

“Nines... I'm back.” 2B said softly as she approached the gaping chasm that swallowed up 9S... and her all those months ago. His scent was heavy in the air **.** It clung to her body and burned her lungs the closer she got. She stopped a few meters shy, not daring to look over the edge at what she might find below.

“I brought you some more bedding... and a tarp... you can make a hammock with it or something.” She walked over to the large box she had wedged between some rocks several days ago. “I'm putting it next to the medical supplies. I can bring some more... tomorrow... if you want.” The words trailed away as she sighed quietly.

The mountain was silent save for the chill breeze that blew through the thick oak trees. 2B sat up against a boulder near the edge and watched the leaves gently shuddering on swaying boughs, playing an ancient song that someone made of metal and electricity may never understand.

At least... not someone like her.

Her eyes flashed to the edge once more before she pulled out a book and flipped to the dog-eared page about halfway through. She didn't quite understand it either; the boys had handed her a collection of stories, documents, and historical texts. She picked the shortest one to start with; something about interactions between machine fish and marine life.

She read aloud, curled up in the shadow of the boulder, committing to memory the names and behaviors of the uncountable numbers of marine life. She would gaze around once in a while, pausing to wet her throat and scan for dangers she knew no longer existed. At least not most of them...

Her legs began to itch after a long while of stillness, so she found a stopping point and returned the book to her bag. Synthetic muscles groaned and creaked as she rose and stretched and brushed the leaf litter from her dress.

A snapping twig brought her attention racing to the source of the noise. In a flash, her body had shifted into a battle stance; her eyes flicked around the area, scanning for anything out of place... but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Her pulse slowed and she forced her body to relax before glancing back at the pit.

“I'll... be back tomorrow, Nines.”

She drifted down the hill, past another large outcropping and shuddered as a stronger scent of death and metal invaded her senses. A few small black smudges trailed around one side of the rocks and disappeared from view.

2B paused for a split second, eyes following the markings before turning away and continuing on. A chilly wind blew through her hair and she shivered and pulled her light jacket tighter around her shoulders.

 

 

_God damned wind._

9S groaned and stretched his rusted joints as a chill blast of air roused him from his shallow sleep. He shook his body, sending flecks of mud and tar in all directions and splattering against the banks of the small pond he rested near. The water rippled and turned black where more droplets fell into the shallows.

The howling wind blew through him, ripping at his tattered clothes and siphoning out what little body heat he had left. With his fuel filter long since destroyed and most major arteries deteriorated, proper heat distribution was a thing of the past. His Black Box felt as if it were permanently on the verge of detonating... yet he could barely feel his fingers and toes through the cold and severed nerves.

Despite that, for some strange reasons, he still had much more mobility than anyone would have expected of someone with his... condition.

He stretched again and winced as his leg seized up and spasmed so he grunted and slammed it on the ground carelessly until it stilled. A moment of pause as a wave of pain ran up his body before he forced himself to his hands and knees and sat up.

The snowfield was barely visible at the outer banks of the pond, but a chill wind brought flakes of snow across the water to tangle in his hair and melt in his chest.

He hated that. He hated the seemingly random directions the wind chose to blow. One moment he would be lying in a nice sunny spot of sorts, soaking up what little heat radiated down from the empty sky, and the next he'd be digging himself out of a thick layer of snow. Nothing in this small world made any sense.

But...

It was still better than being _out there._

At least he didn't have to...

...Well...

At least he had some semblance of his humanity back...

But... was that really a good thing..? At least when he was no more than a beast he wasn't really aware of the state his body was in... or anything really.

Or maybe he did but just didn't remember it...

He wasn't completely sure how long he was wandering around in the wilds... or how far he traveled from where he was supposed to die... or how he even survived the fall... or escaped... or was even able to _move_ in his condition.

The only thing he was sure of anymore is that whatever higher powers existed out there didn't want him to be at peace.

9S shook the melting snow from his body and limped onward, one hand on the ground and the other clutching the gash in his stomach. He pushed through the brush and found his way to the small plains bordering the grove where the others lived.

Not daring to go any closer, he hopped up on a rock out of view of the trees and flattened himself out in the sunlight. His dark eyes lazily scanned the area until rustling in the bushes nearby caught his attention. A herd of deer... or boar... he couldn't tell for sure, emerged from the brush and began grazing at the edge of the plains. Although grazing wasn't exactly the best word to describe... whatever they were doing. Their heads bowed forward and mouths moved as if pulling up grass but they almost never actually picked up or swallowed anything.

Whatever attempted to copy the landscape around them didn't seem to have the capacity to fully replicate the animal life. He assumed if he were to look closer, he'd start to see... abnormalities in the trees and grasses around him too.

He wiped his eyes and squinted at the animals. Longer necks, slender legs. Deer. Not the tastiest, but still filling. Not that he needed to eat anymore... or ever... but still...

Something in his gut pulled at him so he repositioned himself to face the deer. He slowly slid off the rock and stalked forward into the tall grass... but the moment he put weight on his leg it seized up once again and he collapsed into the dirt.

Alarm cries rang out and the sound of hooves scattered away before he could even lift himself back up to look. He hissed and gave chase, but his ungainly stride didn't even come close to the graceful bounding of the deer.

They vanished into the trees and 9S skidded to a halt, hissing again at his failure. He watched the waving branches for a moment before a pang in his gut forced him a step back.

 _Why am I even..?_ _I don't need... ugh..._

Vague memories of the smell of blood and taste of meat flicker in his mind.

_I'm still... an android... I think..._

Then why try to kill what he didn't need to?

_I'm not a monster._

He didn't know any better... back then.

_The only monster here..._

His body tensed as his mind replayed images of before it all fell to pieces.

_Is her._

A chill blast of wind tore 9S from his musings. He shook his head again and made off through the dense underbrush. He'd been out for too long. The others were bound to start wandering around sooner or later.

As he neared the cavern, a feminine voice wove through the breeze and into his ears.

_Again?_

9S was unable to pinpoint the origin of the voice, so he slowed his pace and kept hidden as he approached. An outcropping of large stones came into view and he slinked up to them and cautiously peeked over.

There she was. Sitting by a rock about fifty feet from him near the edge of the pit. Her nose was buried in a small book; 9S could vaguely make out some pictures of fish on the cover. Around her was an ever-growing collection of small boxes filled with useless trash. Water, medical supplies, clothes, towels, blankets, and who cares what else. It was all useless to him. None of that could fix what really mattered.

_Go away._

He leaned up against the hard stone and covered what was left of his ears with his clawed hands. Her voice was quiet, but still softly drilled into his head with indiscernible words. It looked like he was trapped there for the time being so he sighed and curled up in the dirt.

After a too-long stretch of time, her voice finally trailed off and the quiet rustling of leaves immediately snapped 9S to attention. He peeked over to see her stretching lazily and brushing herself off.

_Just go away._

He shifted slightly in place, keeping his eyes locked on her as he prepared to slip away quietly, but...

Snap!

A twig cracked beneath his foot and he ducked behind the rock just as her head whipped around in his direction. His hand covered his mouth to stifle his rattling breathing and he waited completely frozen for something to happen.

“I'll... be back tomorrow, Nines.”

Footsteps approached and he slipped further behind the rocks and watched as she strode down the hillside. Fire roiled in his gut as the name she never called him finally escaped her lips.

“Don't call me that.” He growled as she disappeared from view.

 

 

“Hey, Nines.” 2B murmured to Iny curled limply and contentedly in her lap.

“Hm?” His head slowly turned, soft gaze meeting hers in an oddly comforting way. It was only the two of them; the others were off on their own adventures by the time 2B returned, likely splashing about in the hot springs according to Iny… although it was more likely he somehow shooed them off before she returned.

She paused for a moment, voices at the back of her mind whispering conflicting directions. “Can I... ask you some questions?” A shiver ran down her spine as the words escaped her lips. No going back now.

“Of course.” His body shifted until they were eye-to-eye. “What about?”

“Well... I remember... some of the things you told me about when you were on the run?”

She felt him shift restlessly against her, his eyes flicked away and back before he calmed and pushed the tension away.

“Yeah?”

“Well, the way you were acting and moving... reminded me—”

“I'm not like him.” He growled, his gaze shifting away.

“I—I know but...” Her voice trailed off, mind already searching for a way out. She knows they've been avoiding conversations about 9S since she arrived, but she couldn't stay in the dark forever. She _needed_ to know, and she knew they all knew that too.

“Sorry.” His eyes lower and he curls back in on her. “I just... what were you going to ask?”

“...I... want to know more about what's wrong with him. And... how I can help him.”

_If I can help him._

Iny paused, fingers picking at a frayed piece of her dress.

“Whatever was happening to me when I was on the run... we think that was the early stages of whatever's going on with Stinky.”

She frowned at the name, but Iny continued.

“Our bodies weren't created to handle that kind of damage and strain over that long period of time. We're supposed to either get repairs within a few days... or die... I guess that's just what happens when you're entire purpose is to be disposable.”

“Nines.”

“It's true. We YoRHa were designed to be endlessly thrown into battle over and over again. We were supposed to die and fall apart and be put back together over and over. But I guess for a while I broke that cycle by refusing to die when I should have and I became bitter and resentful about it... I hated the world and YoRHa and... so... I guess I'm like...” The words stuck in his throat until a deep breath released them. “...Stinky in that way... and I just sometimes think about... if I were out there longer...” His voice trailed away.

“You would have grown to hate me too.”

“No!” He nearly yelled. “No of course not! There's no way I...” His eyes flicked around the room wildly.

“I...” He flinched as 2B's eyes bore into his.

“I don't know... I don't know I don't want to think about it.”

“Please.” Her hand found his and squeezed tightly. “I need you to think about it.”

Iny sighed, long and drawn out. “I don't know.” He repeated. “There's just so many different variables. And I mean... the stuff I just said is just a theory I have... I could be completely wrong.”

“Oh... Well... when you were out there... how did you... feel about me?”

“The same way I feel about you now.” He said, matter-of-factly.

“But…” His voice lowered. “Well I told you this before but the other pursuit teams that came for me... you know how I went overboard with them. Trying to hurt them and all that instead of just defending myself... I had to tell myself that it wasn't their fault, but still... I was so _angry._ ”

“When you got here did you still feel like that?”

“Not really, I felt... different. My mind was clear for the first time in forever. And man I was a mess for a while thinking back on everything that happened. I was kind of... an ass... to that Resistance guy.

“I also felt a lot better. I looked about the same as I do now, and it still hurt for a while, and I never got back the skin on my leg,” he pulled up his sweatpants revealing a swath of dark carbon skeleton above his ankle, “but it was a lot better than before I came here. The others helped me so much, I don't want to think about how it'd be if I was alone.”

2B eyed Iny's leg until he covered it up and gave her a sad smile.

“It doesn't hurt anymore, I promise. None of our injuries do.”

“But...”

“Er... well... except Stinky.”

“Why didn't he heal up at all when he got here? Why was he so different?” _Why does he have to keep suffering alone?_

“I don't know. There's a few possibilities... but it’s not easy to get answers for anything here.”

“Please, just tell me what you know.” Nothing in Limbo made sense; it was just a cluster of different places with weird rules and confusing features. Every question she asked would just end up leading to more questions. She sighed as Iny pulled her into him and ran his fingers through her hair.

“...It could be because he was so damaged beforehand for a long time... Like how my leg never regrew its skin because it didn't happen when you killed me.

“Or maybe how much we heal is at least somewhat dependent on our emotional states when we die... Like, how we feel... about you. Or just in general...

“Maybe it had something to do with him going... feral. Something fundamentally changed with his programming and there were some... compatibility issues when he was transferred here... or something...

He paused, jaw faintly trembling and fingers fumbling with a piece of fabric. “Or... Maybe he just... doesn't want to get better... he could just be... afraid of what might happen if anything changes.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Like... maybe he's afraid that everything will happen all over again. That maybe he'll fall for you again and you'll... do something to hurt him all over again... He...”

Iny paused again, rolling his thoughts on his tongue as he searched for the words to continue.

“He really loved you, 2B...” He murmured after a long silence. “Just as much, if not more than all of us. And I know deep down he still does. Just so much has happened and he's just lashing out because he's hurting so much…

“I don't know how much of that anger comes from his... condition or if that's really just how he feels about you now... I wish I can say just giving him a bath and patching him back up will fix it all but…

“It's not going to be easy... I'm not going to lie to you about that... We've all been hurt and have gone through a lot so...” He squeezed his eyes closed and took a stiff breath.

“So... to answer your question from earlier... If the situation was different... If I hadn't already known how you felt about me... If we hadn't almost... well... then... I could have...

He paused and swallowed, fingers fidgeting with her dress again. “We're all still 9S and if... and if it happened to him... then it... could have happened to any of us.

“But it didn't... so I don't want to think about it any more than I have to. Because I don't hate you and now that we're here and safe that won't ever change.”

_Will it though?_

Before she could respond, Iny buried his face in her chest and squeezed her tighter. His shoulders trembled from the strain of it all and 2B quickly reciprocated the embrace.

“I'm sorry...”

Iny turned his head upward to give her a questioning hum.

“I just... I never knew what to do about anything.”

“I know.” He rocked her back and forth. “I would have made mistakes too... I did make mistakes... We all did.

“Heh... I'm sure you've already had this conversation with a bunch of us already.”

“Some of it, yeah.”

“And I'm sure they've all told you the same things. Because it's true.”

“...More or less.”

“Hey, 2B?”

“Hm?”

“Do you wanna lie down for a bit? Or maybe get out and stretch your legs?” Iny's grip loosened and he stretched out and fell back on the bed with a soft thud. He looked at her with eyes that pleaded for a change in subject.

2B shook her head despite the temptation to curl up next to him and forget all her worries.

“I need to know more about him... about everything. I don't want to be in the dark anymore. I still... I still barely know anything about what happened to him. I need you to tell me everything. Please.”

Iny closed his eyes and sighed. “I know. I just… didn’t want to overwhelm you again… but you’re right… come with me… I have something to show you.

 

 

> _Loading playback…._
> 
> _50%...._
> 
> _75%...._
> 
> _Playback initiated._
> 
> …
> 
> …
> 
> …
> 
> Units 9S and 2B black box signal offline.
> 
> Death confirmed.
> 
> …
> 
> …
> 
> …

2B gripped the small screen in her hands as Iny accessed the recording.

“So you did keep a log...”

“...Yeah... we weren't going to hide it forever if that makes things better... we were just... waiting for the right time.”

“...Yeah.”

“2B... did we—” He was cut off by a small gasp from 2B as 9S appeared on the screen.

 

> [5 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> His body writhed in time with sputtering gasps.
> 
> “I’m-...alive-...”
> 
> “S-s-so dark...”
> 
> “I-....It hurtss...ss..ss…”
> 
> Trembling hands grabbed at the jagged spire of stone protruding from his stomach.
> 
> “I-...Oh god I can’t...are those-...ropes? No- g-....god”
> 
> Sobs wracked his body as he tried and failed to lift himself off. Hands slick with blood ruin his ability to grip onto anything.
> 
> “Tw-....2B...where-...”
> 
> He fell silent for a long while, the quiet only interrupted by the dripping of water and his raspy breathing.
> 
>  

2B bit back a sob taking in the horrid sight, bile already rising in her throat.

“I don't understand...” She whispered. “How did he... He should've...”

Iny shook his head. “We don't really know... We think maybe he just hit the stalagmite just right and it staunched the bleeding just enough for his nanomachines to keep him alive... or something. We were trying our best to study and figure it out but...” His voice trailed off as he realized 2B was no longer listening.

“God. I'm...”

 

> [12 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> 9S is seen again, visor barely pulled up above one eye.
> 
> “Why..why did you…”
> 
> His head swayed to the side in the direction of another body.
> 
> “2B...I-...why did you…”
> 
> Silence.
> 
> “I’m...so scared. It hurts… it hurts so bad…”
> 
> His hand feebly reached for the body yards away.
> 
> “Please...I’m-...”
> 
>  

> [28 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> Violent shivers overtook his body.
> 
> “C-....cold...It’s so cold…”
> 
> “It's hot... hot too h-hot...” He pulled at his coat but only managed to loosen one button before giving up.
> 
>  

“He can't regulate his body heat... Everything's falling apart... and it's all my fault.”

 

> [34 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> “I hear….someone…Help...please help. Help me! I’m down-...please! Please! Don’t leave me down here!!”
> 
> “HELP!!! PLEASE!!! PLEASE SOMEONE!!!” He tried to scream with all his might but could only force out a strained whimper. His body refused to move even an inch to alert his would-be rescuers.
> 
> “Anyone…”
> 
> “Help…”
> 
> Faint arguing was heard above him before two sets of footsteps faded into the distance.
> 
>  

“The... the cleanup crew.” 2B gasped. “They said... they said they retrieved our bodies.”

Iny shook his head. “They saw how broken-down you both looked and didn't want to bother climbing all the way down with machines crawling all over that hillside.”

“Bastards.” She hissed. “Bastards. Bastards. Bastards... They should have done their job!

“...I ...they should have given him peace.

“I should have made sure they did it right...

“...No... I should have gone back myself...

“But I...

“I didn't...” She bit her lip and buckled down as the recording jumped to something new.

 

> [50 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> 9S feebly swatted at a rat that nibbled on his fingertips. Another rodent climbed onto his chest and pawed at his coat, and another bit at the legs that hadn't moved in days.
> 
> “Sss...stupid rats...I’m not dead…”

 

> [55 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> His only solace in that fetid pit was the small patch of golden flowers growing near her decaying corpse. His eyes lit up an almost imperceptible amount whenever his gaze fell upon the blooms.
> 
> They seem to glow, being the only thing not rusted browns or mottled greys. Against the black of her uniform and the thick, red oil that pooled beneath her it’s almost blinding. He reached out, fingertips just barely brushing the tip of the nearest leaf.
> 
> “P-please...”
> 
> It gets harder and harder for him to see the yellow flowers as his eyes decay in their sockets.
> 
>  

2B barely noticed Iny pressing up against her, arm wrapped around her shoulder; every last bit of concentration went to picking out every little detail that played before her on that little screen.

She could faintly hear comments from the others as they watched it all happen in real time. She wished the video quality was better... a recording of a recording could only show so much.

She groaned, blinking away tears and subconsciously leaning into Iny's touch as his fingers brushed against her cheek.

 

> [67 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> The sun seared his exposed skin, leaving it cracked and peeling.
> 
> During his brief bouts of agonizing consciousness, he sobbed even though the tears never fell.
> 
>  

_Please. Please just let him have peace. Pleasepleaseplease please please please..._

 

> [90 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> He laughed, bitter and hateful.
> 
> “I’m such an idiot...to think this would be different…”
> 
> “To think _I_ would be different.”
> 
> “Hey...2B...did you feel anything for me?”
> 
> “Did you really…”
> 
> “Or was it just a tactic. Get me to drop my guard.”
> 
> “Get under my skin.”
> 
> “Make me think that you…”
> 
> “That I…”
> 
>  

“I did... I did... so much...

“I just... I couldn't...” Her grip on her chest tightened and memories of reckless intimacy flickered in her mind.

“It's how I should have been with all of you...” She whimpered. “Distant, detached, it would have been easier on all of us...” _It should have been easier on all of us._

Iny's eyes squeezed shut as he bit back a sob and words of comfort that would fall on deaf ears.

 

> [98 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> The yellow flowers fade in his vision.
> 
> Their once glowing hue wilted and withered as the fluids that leaked from the nearby body overtook them.
> 
> He thrashed around, grasping at the flowers with skinless hands as putrid, black sludge began leaking from his agitated chest wound once again. He was willing to tear his body apart if it means saving his only light.
> 
> Save it from...
> 
> Her…
> 
> He hissed at her body, his vocal processors cutting in and out as his throat slowly decayed.
> 
>  

Even in death, she found something to take from him.

“Even in death...” She murmured.

“Huh?” Iny leaned closer but 2B shook her head.

“I couldn't even... let him... have that one thing...”

“2B you kno—” Iny was cut off by a single loud sob as 2B doubled over and tugged at her skirt.

“I should have... If I just...”

 

> [107 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> “What’s my...who am…”
> 
> “I’m N….Nine-...ss…”
> 
> “Unit 9S-..sss...sss...sssss...ss-”
> 
> “YorHa Unit….Scann....”
> 
> “Ss….S...Nine-..ss”
> 
> “Call me...Nine-..s ..ss...ss..sssssssssssssssssss……”
> 
>  

_Let him be free._

 

> [200 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> “I-....hh...hate…”
> 
> “Got to...tt-...ttttt….out…”
> 
> “E-...E…”
> 
> “.....”
> 
> “Kill…”
> 
> “Me…”
> 
>  

_Please, just let him escape._

 

> [215 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> “Ssss-... sorr… ”
> 
> “I’m...sorry…”
> 
> “2… E… ”
> 
> “I… ”
> 
>  

_I'm nothing more than that... I'm nothing more than 2E._

 

> [277 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> Horrid, warped screeches echo throughout the cavern as 9S thrashed around with newfound strength.
> 
> “2...E...!”
> 
> Sharp claws dug at the spire. Unlike countless times before, he managed to grip it now that the blood had dried and the soft skin of his fingers had worn away.
> 
> “2E!” He screamed again... “I'm...!” He pulled again, lifting himself up almost an inch before his strength gave out.
> 
>  

“Wh... what's happening?” 2B leaned closer to the screen.

Iny let out a helpless whine and his grip on her tightened.

 

> [286 hours since confirmed death]
> 
> _Subject no longer visible._
> 
> _End playback._

 

“Th-that's it?” 2B gasped, eyes wide and jaw slack. She turned to Iny who nodded slowly.

“That's it? That can't be it! How did he escape?”

“We don’t know. That's all we have.”

“No! There has to be more!”

“2B, that's really all we have.”

“No... no...”

Iny pulled her closer and nuzzled his face into her neck, but her body kicked itself into red alert and she pulled back and slipped from his grasp before he could react.

“Shit, no 2B don't...” He reached out to her as she stumbled away, but his fears were proved unfounded as her back hit a tree and she slid down to the grass. The screen was still clutched tightly in her hands as she fumbled to the menu to search for something, _anything_ else.

“Why... why did this have to happen!” She cried out, the world around her going dark as she felt like every system in her body was on the verge of overload. Her Black Box burned and her chest heaved and her grip on the screen weakened as the realization of the full extent of what she had done came crashing down on her.

She was a coward.

She was a monster.

She was an executioner.

She left him there... abandoned him...

“2B...” Iny's soft voice broke her from her trance and she jerked her head upward, tears in her eyes.

“I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...” Her voice was so small he could barely even hear it.

“It's... you...” He bit his lip and looked away for a long moment.

“Twelve days.” She whimpered.

“Huh?” Iny glanced back and leaned closer.

“He was trapped there for _twelve days._ All because I'm a coward.”

“You're not a coward.” Iny slowly reached back out to her but she pulled away again.

“No, you don't understand!” She cried out. “I could have gone back... I _should_ have gone back... B-but I didn't want to... to...

“Ugh... no no no... no NO!”

“2B, I'm here.” Iny murmured.

“You shouldn't. It could have been you... It could have been any of you!

“Hhahahh... it almost was you too!

“Because I was too much of a coward to go back and finish the job!

“Hhahah my job, that's all I'm here for is to destroy everyone I care about!

“And I did it! I did a damn good job at it!

“Killed all of you and the thirty-five others that never even made it here!

“I couldn't even look him in the eye!

“Couldn't even go back to make sure he was really dead!

“Couldn't even... give him peace...

“Because I didn't want to...

“Want to...

“I wanted him to live...

“I wanted to...

“Give him the chance to...

“Escape...

“That maybe he could have figured something out...

“And stayed hidden and safe...

“But all I did was fuck everything up...

“I made him into this and now he won't even...

“I'll never be able to fix what I've done...

“Nines... I...

“I'm such a coward...

“I couldn't even...

“I...”

Her shoulders shook as static filled her mind and tears burned her eyes. She sunk lower into the ground and buried her face in her knees and screamed. Her cries echoed out through the clearing and the other boys who had been waiting silently nearby couldn't stop themselves from peeking out the doorways to look.

“I'm so sorry...”

“2-2B...” Iny called out to her weakly, his voice wavering and cracking. She knew that voice... she knew _exactly_ what she would see if she lifted her head and looked at him. So she didn't... she buried her face deeper into her knees and sobbed.

_Coward._

“N-no I'm just...”

"2B, let me help." His voice was softer and calmer but still laced with a hint of fear.

“Why?”

“You know why.”

She shook her head and groaned.

“2B... I'm going to put my hand on your shoulder, ok?”

“Ngh...”

After a pause, Iny's warm hand pressed against her gently; she sobbed once more before loosening her grip on her legs.

“I'm here.” His voice was gentle, reassuring, not a voice one should ever direct at her.

“Just let me help you.” His hand slowly slid around her; his other rested lightly on her wrist and tugged gently until she released her legs. They slid out against the dirt until her feet came to rest against a root.

Iny's hand moved up and molded itself against her jaw, fingers sliding against a cheek to wipe the tears away. She blinked, once, twice, and looked up to see him smiling gently at her.

“It's ok, 2B.” He breathed. “It'll all be ok... one day.”

“N-n...”

“Can I hold you?”

2B paused, as she struggled to parse what he said.

She slowly nodded and he leaned closer and pressed his body up against hers. The warmth of his chest against hers had a calming effect and she found her body relaxing slightly. Her trembling shoulders calmed, her sniffling quieted, and she pressed closer, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into her.

“I'm sorry.” She repeated.

“Don't be... we've already forgiven you.”

“He hasn't...”

“He will... I promise.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Fingers worked their way through her hair and ran up and down her scalp. She sighed and leaned into the contact and reciprocated as best she could.

“I'll say it a million times if I have to but we're all here for you and will do _anything_ for you to be happy...”

“Wh-why...”

“Because we love you... and we always will.”

She sniffed and coughed and wiped her nose on Iny's shirt without a second thought.

“Thank... you...

“I... love you too...”

“Mmm...” Iny pulled back and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. 2B let out a soft laugh and he repeated the motion with her other cheek, pulling away all the tears that soaked her face.

“Hey, 2B?”

“Yeah?”

“Let's go inside... It's cold and dirty out here and we can talk more about this wrapped up in a nice, warm blanket.”

“Heh...” She sniffed. “I'd like that.”

 

 

9S curled up under the shade of a large oak tree; the sunlight was at its brightest and he could only handle so much before the heat made his chest ache more than usual. He batted at a small handful of acorns in front of him, eyes darting from one to another as he tried to keep them from rolling beyond his reach.

Eventually, all of the acorns went beyond his grasp and he stretched out lazily, kicking the tree to combat the annoying tingling sensation that was growing in his good... or less bad, leg. He jumped and squealed as something hard hit his head and he scrambled to his knees until he noticed the small pine cone rolling away.

 _Pine cone_ _? Oak tree?  
_

_Oh wait, I put that there._

He snorted and scooped it up and slid it into his pocket. It sat uncomfortably against his hip but he pushed it from his mind in favor of stuffing as many acorns as possible into his other pocket. A few tumbled out of the small hole in the bottom until a larger nut blocked it.

9S staggered to his feet and headed off into arandom direction; he had stayed there long enough, it was time to move on. Sooner or later one of the idiots was bound to walk by on their way to wherever.

Maybe his sunning rock would be a good change of pace. His hands were starting to get a bit stiff again and it would be good to soak up some more heat before night fell. He changed direction and trotted through the foliage and over the still-unsettling boundaries until he caught sight of the flattened, dark boulder tucked neatly between some low bushes.

As he approached, something moving caught his attention and he froze. A small snake, roughly a foot long was making its way up the rock. Its gray scales shimmered in the afternoon light and he stared at it for a long moment as his mind filled in the colors he assumed it should have. Out in the _real world,_ their current location would be dry most of the year, so it was likely light brown and the bands running along its length were likely darker browns that faded to black. He wasn’t sure when the last time he saw color was; he couldn’t tell if the grayscale landscape was from his deteriorating eyes or was just another feature of this strange hell.

A pang in his gut broke his concentration and the imagined colors faded. Whatever the snake looked like didn't matter... it was easy pickings as it stretched itself out in the open. 9S dropped to the ground and stalked forward a few feet, narrowing his eyes and keeping himself hidden between the grasses.

 _No._ He stopped, shaking his head. _Don't need this._

He straightened himself back out and, as quietly as possible, approached the rock. The snake caught sight of him and coiled in on itself, puffing itself up and letting out a small hiss. 9S hissed back and curled up on the far end of the rock and stared back at the defensive creature. It stayed in its tightly-coiled ball for several minutes before finally poking its head out and flicking its tongue at him.

9S remained put and watched as its little head swayed as it examined its large, smelly guest for a moment. Seemingly satisfied, it turned away and flattened itself against the sunniest part of the boulder and going still, keeping its eye trained on him.

“B-b-brave little guy, aren't you?” 9S snorted. “Sorry you had... to get trapped trapped here too...” He shifted uncomfortably as his rarely-used voice processors began crackling back to life. The snake didn't seem too concerned at least; it flinched slightly as 9S coughed up a spot of sludge but didn't move from its spot.

“Huh,” 9S mumbled as the snake stretched out and yawned, “now that I think... about it, didn't humans believe snakes were... evil?” He tilted his head and the snake flicked out its tongue, as if responding to his musings.

“Bullshit though... look at you... you look kinda l-look... creepy but you didn't do any...thing wrong... you're just out here doing what you're sup...posed to do an' people tried to punish you... for it.” He scoffed and flicked a glare off into the distance.

“At least they're... all dead now... d-don't have to worry about being kill-killed for a shitty reason... t'least you don't. Just b'careful of... ahh... what am I saying.” He chuckled to himself softly. “You don't 'ven have any ears, do you?”

He pushed his grimy hair aside and turned the side of his face to the snake. “Same as me... can still hear bit but not that good.” It continued staring at him with its lidless eyes, tongue flicking out lazily every minute or so.

“Kinda cute now... that I think 'bout it. Can I give you a name?” When it didn't react, he considered that close enough to a yes as he was gonna get.

“Kinda fat... like a big cable... _Cable_ sounds stupid... though. Wire? Tongue Flicky? Hmm...” He scrunched his nose and scratched the side of his head.

“Stringy?” As soon as the name escaped him, the snake popped its head up and turned straight toward him before settling back down in a looser position.

“Heh... Stringy ok.” A small smile grew on his face and he reached out and gently bopped the snake on the head with his finger. It hissed and curled up in a defensive position again, but relaxed much sooner than before.

“I hope you come here often... it's nice ha—” 9S snapped his jaw shut when his ears caught wind of something moving through the grass. He poked his head up, scanning the horizon until his nose crinkled in displeasure.

2B was headed in his direction; arms wrapped around a small box of who knows what. Her hair blew freely in the cold breeze and her eyes were trained on the forest behind him.

“Ugh, not again.” He hissed under his breath. He glanced back down to see Stringy's tail disappearing behind the rock as it slithered off into the grass. Disappointed, he snorted and lowered himself back down and waited.

 _It's for the best._ He thought, somewhat glad his new friend had the foresight to flee when it had the chance.

9S held his breath as 2B walked within ten feet of him, passing his hiding place without giving it a second glance. He sat back up as her back was turned to him and waited until she neared the trees before taking a few cautious steps forward, stretching out his stiff muscles in preparation for a long walk. Might as well see what she was up to... since she already scared away his companion.

Her pace was swift and soon enough she disappeared from view in the bordering forest. It was better that way, 9S thought, at least he didn't have to worry about being seen. He knew where she was going so he just followed far behind, stalking through the brush and clambering up the steep hillside until he neared the entrance to the pit.

Just as he expected, there she was sitting by the same rock with her nose buried in the same book with another box of useless junk nearby. Her voice was barely audible against the chill breeze.

_Reading again? What is she trying to accomplish with this?_

Despite his complaining, he found himself creeping closer, inch by inch. He soon wedged himself between the same boulders he hid behind the other day and swiveled his head so his good ear could catch what she was saying.

She looked... different. Not in her physical appearance, but the way she held herself. Arms closer to her body, jumpier, looking up and around wildly at every sound she heard. Her voice was smaller and harder to hear and she paused every few paragraphs to close her eyes and breathe deeply.

He watched intently, just barely able to see her through the leaves.

_The hell happened with her? Heh... maybe the others finally realized what she truly is._

She continued reading, oblivious to 9S watching and waiting nearby. The cold wind blew through him in bursts, completely drowning out her voice for moments at a time. Whatever. As long as he stayed downwind of her it didn't matter.

2B shivered and put the book down momentarily to pull a white shawl from the box and wrap it around her shoulders. 9S tensed up, ready to run if need be, but she got right back to reading once it was securely wrapped around her.

She kept going, and going, and going, showing no signs of stopping. Was she going to finish the entire book or something? 9S groaned quietly under the cover of a gust of wind and shifted himself slightly as his limbs began to ache.

_Shut up shut up shut up. I don't care about that I don't care that machine basking sharks caused a whole new species of fish to evolve alongside them. I don't care that seabirds sometimes use machine manta rays as resting spots way out at sea. I don't care that it's helped three species of bird avoid extinction. It doesn't matter. Stop talking and leave me alone._

9S was almost resigned to his fate of being trapped there forever when 2B finally reached the last page and slowly closed the book. She placed her hand on the cover and bowed her head, resting her forehead on it and sighing deeply.

A pause, and she returned the book to her bag and slipped the shawl back in the box. Another pause, and she stood up and brushed herself off, closing her eyes and breathing deeply before turning toward the pit. Cautiously, she approached, but stopped a few feet away and stared into the sky.

Was she... going to go down there?

_Don't you fucking dare._

In a flash, 9S pulled himself to his feet with the help of the surrounding rocks and stepped out, making sure to keep quiet until the time was right.

 

 

2B stood near the edge, reaching for the courage to finally look down. She knew she needed to talk to him, especially now that she knew the extent of the pain and anguish she caused him. A voice in the back of her mind called to her; it wanted nothing more than to retreat back home and into the waiting arms of Nines... all of them.

But she couldn't. She already wasted enough time curled up in Iny's embrace as he helped her through her latest... crisis. Every second she wasted on cuddling... or reading... was another second 9S would have to live in the prison of his decaying body.

She didn't quite know what to expect, but...

“N-nines?” She called out quietly. “Nines?”

“What do you want?” A snarl from behind her almost startled her out of her skin. She whipped around to see 9S standing not twenty feet away.

He looked the same as he did the day she arrived. Bedraggled, decrepit, one bad fall from shattering into a million pieces. He stood as tall as he could, despite not being able to put much weight on one leg.

“I-I came to talk.”

“What's there to talk about?” His eyes narrowed and he took a shaky step forward, sending a tremor down 2B's spine.

What _was_ there to talk about? She had a million and one things to say and ask yet none of it would undo what she did to him.

"They showed me... what happened to you... back then..."

“Oh yeah?” Venom laced his words. “You finally got around looking? How long's been?”

“They didn't want me to see it and—”

“Save it. I don't care about... your exc-u-uses.”

Another tremor and 2B wrapped her arms around her as her self-preservation screamed at her to fight or flee the perceived attack.

When she didn't respond, 9S continued. “You keep coming back here, leaving useless garbage. What d-d-d want me to do with it? Wrap myself up nice and ssssnug so you don't... have to look at your mis...takes ever again?”

“No... I...”

“You _what_?”

“I don't want you to be in pain anymore.”

He scoffed. “It's too late late for that now, should have thought ...that before _stabbed me in the back._ ”

2B flinched visibly and blinked back hot tears already threatening to fall. There was no defense for her actions, nothing to say to make things better... She had stabbed him in the back in every possible interpretation of the phrase.

“I know I can't go back and undo what I did.” She choked. “But I can make it better now if you just let me help you. So please, tell me what you want me to do.”

Eyes narrowing, he took another step forward and stomped his foot on a twig. “I want you... to _leave!_ ” The harsh snap made 2B jolt in place and retreat even further.

“I...” She stammered as 9S took another step forward.

“You stay away from her!” A voice from opposite of where 9S appeared called out angrily. A split-second later, Kyuu exploded from the bushes and forced his way between the two of them.

It seemed he had come prepared: his loose shirt and shorts had been replaced by jeans and a thick, dark jacket. Dirty combat boots too big for him covered most of his calves and he had retrieved his old YoRHa gloves from wherever they were stashed. Most concerning of all, his sword floated close behind him, glistening in the dim rays of evening light that filtered through the leaves.

“N-Nines... what are you...”

“It's ok 2B, I'm here.” He glanced back slightly before snapping his head back to 9S.

“Nines, wai—”

“I saw him following you on the radar and I had to come out and make sure he wasn't about to try shit. I know how you are when...” He paused and flashed his eyes around the clearing. “When—”

“Hah!” 9S wheezed. “You ca-a-an't even trust her... either can you!” He tried to straighten himself up and speakboldly, but it was a challenge when his voice processors continued to malfunction.

“That's _not_ what this is and you know it.” Kyuu hissed. “You're messed up and I won't let you hurt her again.”

“Nines, please.” She placed her hand on his shoulder, easing his tension slightly although his glare never shifted from 9S.

"She still cares about you, you know, even after everything you've done."

“Don't care.” He shrugged.

“You disgust me.”

“'S it any... w-worse than what you do?”

“ _What_?” He hissed.

“You cod-d-d-dle her, worship her, hide... her from the truth...” His leg buckled under him and he gripped a nearby tree to steady himself. “About me... about hu—”

“Shut up!” Kyuu hissed. “This has all been impossibly difficult on her! You think we can just tell her everything we know right away? She could barely handle finding out you _existed_ after just getting here.”

“Nines.” She said a bit more sternly, tugging on his jacket. He was so focused on the scowl that formed on 9S's face that he barely even registered she was still there.

“So you really hv... haven't told her...” He shook his head, letting out a half-laugh, half-sigh.

“We were going to tell her eventually...” Kyuu growled.

“Tell me what?”

“Hah. I doubt it doubt it. You all like... to baby her and p-pretend nothing's wrong.”

“Shut up. You don't know what we've talked about!”

“Nines, tell me what?” She said a bit louder, frustration slowly building up inside her.

“Nothing.” Kyuu almost snapped as he kept his eyes locked on 9S.

“Nothing?!” 9S hissed. “You're going to lie... to her straight to her face n-now?”

Kyuu's mouth opened and closed and he narrowed his eyes at 9S. “I said shut up! You think I'm going to just tell her _right now_?”

“Why not now? She needs... to know that—”

“Keep talking and I'll make sure you never talk again.” He growled, pointing his sword straight at his decrepit doppelganger.

 **“Enough!”** 2B roared, smashing her fist into the trunk of an ancient oak tree. Both boys jumped back as the bark shattered on impact and sent shards of wood flying in all directions. The entire tree quivered and cracked as dozens of leaves and twigs were dislodged and fell on the three of them.

Kyuu dropped his sword and stumbled backward, eyes wide in shock. 9S similarly recoiled but quickly steadied himself and pushed the shock from his expression.

“2..”

“Stop talking about me like I'm not here!” She shouted voice echoing hauntingly in the cavern behind them, quieter than before but still full of fire. Her fist stayed balled against the crackling trunk as her eyes flashed between the two of them, both staring back with differing levels of surprise.

“I—” A gasp escaping from her chest cut her off as she just now registered the discomfort flowing from both of them. Both stared at her, unmoving, bodies tense and hair on end, despite 9S' attempts at hiding it.

...Both of them still...

“You're...”

_They're both afraid of me... they're all afraid of me... I'm..._

“2B!” Kyuu jumped into action and rushed back to her, wrapping his hands around hers, sword long forgotten. “I'm trying to... to...”

“Let him talk.” She ordered. “Please…

“I know you all have been avoiding telling me things and I don’t want to be in the dark anymore... I need to know this.”

“I can tell you back home, please, just let's go now.”

2B tightened her grip on his hand and shook her head. He let out a half-whimper and averted his gaze.

“Just... just go... I'll catch up with you... I don't want to be in the dark anymore.”

“But... 2B...”

“Go!”

Kyuu flinched again and his jaw trembled, unsure of what to do... He looked to her with pleading eyes, but when she held fast, he sighed and let his shoulders sag and head hang dramatically.

“All right...” He whimpered. “I'll go.” His gaze shifted to 9S and he narrowed his eyes. “But if you try _anything._ ”

“ _Nines!_ ”

"2B I... I'm sorry... I just..." He shook his head and slinked away. "I'm sorry." He whimpered again, barely audible. 2B and 9S both watched and waited until he disappeared behind the brush and his footsteps faded into the background noise.

She turned back to 9S.

“Nines.”

“Don't call me that.” He snapped.

“...9S...”

“Everything you've ever fought for was a lie.” He scoffed, cutting her off. “Every single one of us you killed was for a _lie._ ” His voice slowed and his words, now dripping with venom, came out with surprising clarity.

“Wh-what do you mean?” _No, no please no._ Her mind warped back to memories of the humanoid machine Adam, and how he toyed with her mind and filled her with lies as she fought to save 9S from him.

 _“I'm sure you already know, little Android—_ ” His voice was cruelly clear in her mind.

_Shut up!_

9S waited an uncomfortably long time for her mind to wrap around what he just said... testing her... finding out how much she already knew. Her eyes widened, and her body trembled, and the moment she opened her mouth to respond, he continued.

“Humans have been dead for thousands of years.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything comes crashing down on 2B the moment she realizes that her entire existence was made to perpetuate a lie. The boys try their best to help but...

_Humans have been dead for thousands of years._

_Humans have been dead for thousands of years._

_Humans have been dead for thousands of years._

_Humans have been dead for thousands of years._

_Humans have been dead for thousands of years._

_Humans have been dead for thousands of years._

_Humans have been dead for thousands of years._

_Humans have been dead for thousands of years._

_Humans have been dead for thousands of years._

 

 

2B stumbled down the hillside, one foot in front of the other, tripping over sticks and rocks, the dignity and grace of a state-of-the-art combat unit destroyed with just a few words.

“ _I'm sure you've realized it by now.”_

Memories she had long pushed down clawed their way to the forefront of her mind, sneering and taunting her for brushing them away.

“ _The fact humanity is already... extinct?”_

He was lying, that humanoid machine, that damned parody of an Android _Adam_ was lying to mess with her head and get her to drop her guard. A cruel trick to gain the upper hand, that was then... but now...

“ _Humans have been dead for thousands of years.”_

_No. Shut up, you're both lying!_

Why would 9S lie though? The 9S she knew wouldn't resort to something so petty and cruel...

But...

He wasn't the 9S she knew. This 9S had everything to gain from lying her or telling her anything that could break her, considering how it pushed her dangerously close to the edge of another major breakdown.

She stumbled through some dense brush, ignoring the brambles tearing at her twice-mended dress.

But if he were lying... Kyuu wouldn't have...

As if on cue, the 9S in question came into view, leaning stiffly against a tree and kicking at any rocks and twigs within reach.

“2B?” He gasped, jumping to attention and approaching her slowly, flicking his eyes back and forth between her face and the ground.

“It's all a lie.” She mumbled, walking past him without even looking his way.

He gasped and froze as she paid him no mind, eventually shaking himself back to reality and following her.

“It's all a lie.” She said a bit louder.

“2B?” He repeated softly, reaching out to her.

The contact was a shock to her already overwhelmed systems; 2B leaped back, fists up in a fighting stance before she remembered where she was.

“Whoa! It's ok 2B! It's just me!” Kyuu stammered, jumping back and holding his hands up as if surrendering.

“Oh... what?” He wild eyes locked onto Kyuu's stiff face.

Kyuu slowly relaxed from his defensive posture and cautiously approached her again.

“Oh, er well...” He coughed, picking at a loose thread on his glove. “Do you... ok? I mean... are you want to talk about... uh... shit...”

“No.” She turned and strode off.

Kyuu let out a sharp whimper before scrambling to catch up with her.

“2B I'm sorry for what I did earlier, I was just worried about you, you've been going over there so much and...” His words faded into background noise as 2B's inner turmoil roiled on.

_They can't be extinct. Because that would mean..._

“2B can... are you mad at me?”

“No.” She responded flatly before even fully processing the question.

_Everything I ever fought for..._

_Am I mad?_

_Was for a lie..._

_Do I have the right to be mad?_

_Everyone I killed..._

_After everything I did to them..._

_Everyone I betrayed..._

_Do I not deserve to be lied to?_

_They... no... they couldn't have died for nothing._

_What else are they hiding from me?_

_Lie._

_It's a lie._

_It's all a lie._

_I'm the biggest liar of them all._

_They're leaving me in the dark._

_I lied first, it's only fair._

_I'm not mad._

_Emotions are prohibited._

“What?” She flinched out of nowhere.

“Oh... uh... I was saying...” Kyuu mumbled. “There's a lot we still need to talk about and we really were...” His voice quickly faded into the background once again. His fidgeting had become wilder and more panicked as time went on.

“Okay.” She mumbled back after a minute or so; the swirling thoughts in her mind slowly becoming incomprehensible noise. She just had to keep walking, get back to camp and sit down for a bit and one of the others will come along and tell her that 9S was the one that was lying.

Right? That's what was going to happen right? Kyuu's just not saying 9S made it all up because...

Because..?

“2B?” Another 9S called out from nearby. Her head jolted in the direction of the voice to see Iva, Tisa, and Nove cautiously approaching, flashing glances between her and Kyuu.

“Is everything okay?” Nove asked cautiously.

“Stinky told her about the humans.” He growled.

 _“Stinky told her about the humans.”_ The words repeated sharply in her mind.

“What?”

“ _Stinky told her about the humans.”_

“Shit.”

“2B... are you..?”

Her head just barely shook on its own.

It was all true...

There was no denying it now.

She buried herself deeper in her own mind putting all the pieces together. That was the classified information he kept finding. That's what she was punishing him for, again and again.

She really did kill them all for a lie...

“2-2B,” Tisa murmured, “let's go home.”

“We're going to the library.” Kyuu said flatly.

“Just the two of you? Hold on, no, we're going back home, all of us.”

“That's all the way on the other side of Limbo, that's too far.”

"Well, where else are we going to go?"

“Back home.”

“We all need to be there for this.”

Kyuu flashed a glare between the two before he huffed and shrugged. “Fine. Let's go.” He began walking again but 2B didn't budge.

“2B?”

“Huh?” Her head slowly turned as she stared right through him. The four of them exchanged glances and Kyuu doubled back to approach her.

“Hey.” He said gently. “Everything's going to be okay.”

"Okay." She mumbled back but still didn't move.

They looked to each other again before Tisa quietly cleared this throat.

“I'll... run ahead and tell the others.” He offered; the other three both nodded and he wasted no time in dashing off and disappearing from view.

“I should probably go too I guess...” Iva added. “They might need help cleaning up... or something.” He took off without another word, following the trail Tisa was blazing.

“Come on, 2B.” Nove said softly. “Let's go home... I guess we have some explaining to do, huh...” He placed his hand on hers and began carefully guiding her forward.

2B nodded, still not quite parsing what they were saying. They continued on at a brisk pace, both Nove and Kyuu holding on to each of her arms. They occasionally flashed concerned glances at her, then each other, and back again.

Once in a while, they would speak to each other... or to her... she couldn't quite tell... but for the most part, the trek back was filled with tense silence.

Just keep walking; home wasn't that far away and when she got there she could...

She could what?

What was she supposed to say?

What were _they_ going to say?

_It's all a lie._

The one thing she was able to tell herself for so long...

_I killed them all... for a lie._

To justify the horrible things she had done to them...

_This is all wrong._

The terrible, unforgivable things...

_Wrong._

She had no excuse...

_Wrong!_

She never did.

...

_How much more are they hiding from me?_

_…_

_Why were they hiding it for so long?_

_Were they just trying to look out for me?_

_Or..._

"2B... we're home." Kyuu's voice called out to her, once again pulling her back to reality. She blinked and looked up to see they had stopped at the front door to their bedroom. Faint rustling and mumbling could be heard from inside; her body tensed and her breath hitched in her throat as Kyuu reached for the doorknob.

The door creaked open to reveal all of the others scattered across the room, sitting tensely and looking up at her with a mix of concern and... some other emotions she couldn't quite discern. A few of them hugged pillows tightly in their arms while others fidgeted with the blankets or their own clothes.

She felt a tug as Kyuu and Nove led her inside to the empty mattress in the center. She all but collapsed the moment her feet hit the soft fabric, taking the two boys with her. They released her arm and settled down nearby, quietly formulating their next words.

“So uh...” Devini murmured. “He told you about the—”

“Yes.”

“Oh uh...”

“We were going to tell you ourselves...”

“We were just...”

“Trying to find the right time...”

“Yeah...”

A small pause rippled through the group; 2B kept her eyes on the floor for a moment longer before...

“You all knew, didn't you.” She asked quietly, calmly... _too_ calmly.

A pause, then the group gave a collective, slow nod, eyes all shifting in different directions... away from her.

“Why didn't any of you tell me? Before... I mean... before I killed you...”

Another pause as the quiet sounds of restless shifting filled the room.

“What good would it have done?” Kyuu finally murmured.

“I... it would...” Her jaw trembled and she dropped her gaze. What good _would_ it have done?

“You would have just ended up here a long time ago...”

“The rest of us would have just gotten passed off to someone who didn't give a shit about us...”

“That thought was... scarier than the guilt from...”

“Lying to you...”

“To everyone...”

"I couldn't bear being separated from you... even though it wasn't actually _me_ in the future...”

“I _was_ actually going to tell you... but never got the chance...”

“I was thinking of the safest way to tell you...”

“I just didn't want you to feel the same... I guess... heartbreak I did...”

“I was... I didn't believe it myself. I didn't _want_ to believe it...”

“I never actually found out... only bits and pieces... I only pieced it together when I got here...”

“I was weighing my options... every choice I had had consequences...”

“If everyone else found out, morale would be destroyed and we'd basically be handing the victory to the machines.”

“Or we could continue fighting a lie and maybe one day you could be happy with the surviving 9S.”

“They still had data on the human genome on the moon... I just wanted to hold on to that hope that they could do something with that one day.”

2B's eyes followed the boys around the room as each of them said their piece. Each of them had their own reasoning for keeping it all to themselves... so similar, yet so different to the others'.

Their voices soon faded into a single drone and she wasn't quite sure when one's ended and another's began; it was as if they were all becoming one single 9S at that moment.

...Wouldn't that be nice?

Just one 9S with all of their memories... Happy and safe and whole.

Her shoulders shook with a single, silent sob; she put her head in her hands and sighed loud enough to silence anyone talking.

“2B..?” One of them said. “Are you... gonna be ok?”

“I'm fine.”

“Uh...” Kyuu mumbled, glancing to Nove as if asking for help. “You... are you sure?”

“You're kinda... well...”

“Emotions are prohibited.”

A collective gasp escaped from the boys and the tension in the room grew to palpable levels. Even 2B seemed surprised at the reemergence of her mantra and how easily the words seemed to slide off her tongue despite not once being said since her first... encounter with the feral 9S...

“2B... you...”

“You don't have to say that anymore.”

“We're here, remember? You can feel any way you want to.”

She shook her head. “Emotions are prohibited.”

“No... no no no. Please, 2B.”

“You don't have to...”

“We don't want to see you like this.”

“Please, just, talk to us.”

“We want to help.”

“We want to make things right.”

Make things right? When it was her that made everything wrong in the first place?

What's the point of making things right anyway?

None of this was real.

...

But...

It didn't matter if it was real or not, they were all there... Eleven out of twelve 9S forgiving her was adequate, right? If she just... accepted things as they were and went with the flow it would make everything easier... maybe.

Just keep doing what she was doing and 'Stinky' would forgive her eventually, right?

...

He shouldn't.

None of them should.

They should all hate her, but...

“Emotions are prohibited.”

The words came out like a broken record. The boys no longer spoke or reached out to her. She couldn't really tell _what_ they were doing, it was all fading into static. She pulled at the pillow she held, stretching the fabric to its limits. Her body began to fold in on itself.

_No... no no no._

_“_ Emotions are prohibited." A deep breath and she relaxed. Just push it back down. Stay calm, collected, emotionless until it's all figured out.

“2B.” Nove said gently, but sternly. “Don't talk like that. You know you don't have to do that anymore.”

“Stop it!” She nearly screamed. The boys jumped back in unison and shifted around in their seats, preparing for what might come. “Stop trying to make it seem like everything's going to be just dandy! Just super fucking great! Like... a nice one-on-one talk with each of you is going to fix everything!” It was as if a switch deep inside her was flipped and her fragile emotionless facade shattered in an instant.

“How can you keep saying that when everything I ever lived and died for was for a _lie!_ My only purpose, the only thing I was created to do in this world was to kill all of you for finding out our existences are meaningless and everything is a fucking lie!

“I did all this damage to all of you for fucking _nothing_! I killed all of you! Forty-seven of you! Where are the other thirty-five?”

A few of them opened their mouths to speak but were quickly cut off.

“Where are they!? How am I supposed to atone for what I've done when three-fourths of you are just... gone?

“And that...” Her voice caught and wavered in her throat. “That doesn't even cover everyone else I've killed!

“How many other Androids have found out the truth? Every deserter I killed too? Did I kill them for a lie too?”

She tugged again and the pillow ripped clean in two, spilling stuffing into her lap and onto the floor. She paid no mind as she kept tearing the case into smaller and smaller shreds.

She found herself repeating the same questions over and over as if expecting different answers... answers she deserved. Why couldn't even one of them admit they hated her too? She blew 'Eiwa up for god's sake. He can't have just... gotten over it that easily.

His entire body was covered in thick scars... How could he just be fine? Just itching sometimes? What if that was a lie too?

They couldn't all just be fine with everything. Where was the anger? Where were the bad feelings? What else were they hiding from her?

She found her answers in the uneasy glances at the door, the subtle adjustments of posture, the cautious shifting of pillows and blankets out of laps and away from feet.

They were afraid of her, they all were. Even Kyuu's reassuring touch faded as he folded his hands in his lap and fiddled with the buckles on his boots.

Despite this, she found herself unable to stop. Just like before, the words cascaded from her lips and flooded the room. Just like before, they all sat stiffly, unable to respond, unable to even think of a way to diffuse the situation.

She hated it. She hated being so vulnerable and out in the open, despite being around the one person... the one... people... the... multiple people that assured her they loved and cared about her.

She hated that all she knew was violence and fighting and she couldn't just punch these problems away.

She hated knowing that her violence was what got them all in this situation in the first place... and that she couldn't get them out the same way.

She hated the looks of fear and concern in their eyes as the entire group of high-end Scanners failed to solve this one problem.

They just sat, and stared, and whimpered, and fiddled, and shifted, and twisted uncomfortably until she wore herself out.

Her stream of words was cut off by a cough as her voice processors warned of an impending overload. Her head fell and she pressed her hands to her temples and groaned.

There was so much more bubbling just below the surface but suddenly she felt simultaneously drained of all energy and wound-up and ready to bolt.

The tension in the room slowly faded as her heated breathing began to even out and her body sunk lower to the floor.

Soon, she felt the gentle warmth of a hand on her shoulder, she wasn't sure who's, but there was something almost calming about that gesture. It was so gentle and reassuring despite her violent outburst.

“2B...” Nove finally said. “We've all been hurt by what you've done... what you were forced to do. But right now we're pushing that all aside for the most part because we didn't want _this_ to happen.”

“We were hoping to just work on it all bit by bit... because... well...”

“There's still a lot we need to talk about.”

“We were doing this because we thought that's what was best for you...”

“Best for all of us...”

“But I guess...”

“In the end...”

“We ended up...”

“We waited too long.”

“We're sorry.”

“Don't.” She responded flatly. “Don't apologize. Don't apologize. Don't apologize...

“It doesn't matter... It doesn't matter what any of you did because I... even if you did tell me... I would have...”

_Would have what? Killed him anyway?_

“I-I don't know!” She screamed, sending a few of the boys scooting backward once again. “I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!” Her head began to spin again as multiple scenarios played at once.

In a flash, she sprung to her feet; her body screamed at her to run, to fight, to do _something_ besides sit there. But that remaining sliver of self-control held on as all the 9Ss in the room jumped up instinctively, preparing to stop a repeat of last time.

Shaking, she scanned the room once again to see the group of boys staring at her with pure fear in their eyes. The exact cause of their fear was unclear; were they afraid for themselves, or for her? Both?

One thing was clear to her...

_I can't let them see me like this any longer. I have to process this somewhere else._

She took a shaky step forward.

“W-wait 2B!” One of them stuttered.

“I... I just need to take a walk.”

“B-but...”

“We should talk this out a bit more.”

“I don't want you to... uh...”

“Sh-should we come with?”

She shook her head. “I need some... time to think.”

“2B... I don't want you—”

“Please.” She begged, voice quiet and strained.

Quiet murmurs passed through the group and few of the boys mumbled reluctant agreements.

“Just, be careful, ok?” Nove pleaded, looking her straight in the eyes.

“Yeah...” She nodded, noting the hidden meaning behind his words. ' _Don't make me thaw you out in the hot springs again._ '

“I won't... do anything stupid... I just... I need to go.” She stumbled toward the door, paying no mind to the 9Ss that scrambled away to let her through. She shut the door behind her and took off into the woods to run as far as possible from that nightmare.

 

 

 _God damned ice._ 9S grumbled as he awoke to a light sheet of snow dusting the exposed part of the pit... including his frigid limbs.

 _Why'd this place have to end up right next to that frozen hellhole?_ He struggled to right himself but found his arms and legs would barely respond. Sighing, he worked them bit by bit for the next few minutes until he thawed them enough to sit upright.

 _You don't have to stay here, you know._ A small voice echoed in the back of his mind.

“Ugh...” He snorted. _There's no way I'm leaving until all that shit with them blows over._

“Jus... needa... 't out of th' dir-r-rect s-snow...

“'S fine...” His joints creaked as he moved to find a more suitable place to curl up. It wouldn't be so bad once he could make himself sleep again... maybe...

“'S... cold...”

His mind flickered to the pile of blankets folded neatly not far from the entrance.

“No... don't need... 'll stop snow v-ventually.” He huffed and dragged himself behind a large stalagmite; every bit of movement sent sharp pains up every part of his body that still had feeling in it.

“See? 'S better now...” He grumbled as he curled up in the pile of leaves he had collected over the past few months. He was out of the direct path of the wind and snow but...

The damp leaves plastered themselves against his body every time he shifted around.

“Ugh... juss... gimme som...” _Just let me have some peace for once._ He lamented, sitting up against the cold rock to pick the soggy plants off. “Gotta... f-find som... somethin' better thn...”

_Like those tarps and blankets she left?_

“Urgh n-no... don' nee her...” 9S shook his head, sending another damp leaf fluttering to the ground.

“Wind'll change...”

_But until then?_

“'v dealt wuh worse...

“Can't let... h-her win-n...

“C-cant leh her thin...k... I neeh 'er...”

_Can't let her know you need her._

“I DON'T NEED HER!” He screeched. “I c'n... jus fine...”

_Who else is here?_

_None of the others want to help._

_You pushed them away too._

_It's just you and her in this hell._

9S growled and shoved his head in the leaves, trying to bury the sneering little voice in the back of his mind.

“Blankets... aren't... gon... gonna f-fix this.

“Th...th... migh' help tho...

“B-but no don't t-trust...

“She might...”

_She might what?_

“Stab... hurt... push... kill... abandon...”

_You can't die again, stupid._

“Still hurt...”

_More than now?_

“Still... abandon...”

_She can't abandon you if you don't let her near in the first place._

“Exac...ly...

“Don... need her... 'n't need any...one.

“She...s...s th... m-monster...

“Don't get... any more o-orders fr...from YoR...Ha but...

“Wh... would sh- s-stop-

_YoRHa is gone. That's why._

“B-but... she...

“...” He grabbed another handful of damp leaves and threw them, grunting loudly as roughly half of them still clung to his palm.

“What if sh really is tryin' t' make thinsss righ?”

_Then you're no better than she is._

“N...no...” He hissed. “It's not the same... not th same 't all...”

_You're refusing her... just like she refused you..._

“Fine! I'll get th stup-p-pid blan...ket...”

9S slowly rose to his feet; his joints crackled and his legs buckled and damp leaves fell from his body every step he took. He hobbled to the sheer pile of rubble that marked the entrance to the cavern and dug his claws into the cold rock.

It was a bit slicker than usual, but nothing he hasn't dealt with before; the crudely-carved handholds in the stone made it a bit easier to clamber up but...

His stiff, weakened limbs could only pull him up so far before...

“N-n-no... g-god!”

He felt his grip slipping, his weight shifting, the gravel crumbling beneath his feet. His claws left deep scores on the slippery rocks as he lost his hold on the steep wall. A warped scream forced from his lungs echoed out through the cavern as his back hit the stone with an alarming crunch.

Pain wracked through his body as he tumbled down, futilely grappling at anything and everything to slow his fall. He crashed to the cave floor, head spinning, body spasming, arms still flailing for a grip on something as his processors took too long to register his descent had come to an end.

“Shhshitt..” He gasped. “Shit my... I... n-no...t-t-t-t...”

Thick, black tears spilled from his eyes clouding his already poor vision; it was no different than the putrid slime that wept from his reopened wounds. He couldn't hold back a shattered scream as he tried and failed to right himself; his efforts only served to tear at his already frayed nerves and send agonizing jolts of electricity down his entire body.

“I fuc... f-f-cck... I... not-t ag...again...”

His legs... he couldn't move his legs. He couldn't _feel_ his legs. His head shifted, rolling to the side as he tried to assess the damage.

“N-no... god...”

They lay sprawled out in the muck, twisted in impossible angles and twitching sporadically. One foot, he wasn't sure which, was twisted almost completely backward; the other had dozens of tangled wires poking from the calf, trailing up the rocks to where they caught on a protruding stone. He choked at the sight, arm jerking toward his face in horror but it didn't even make it half way before giving out and dropping to the ground.

Another weak scream escaped from him as he commanded his legs to move, to magically twist back and let him crawl to the safety of the shadows. But they refused. He tried to command his arms to drag him away. But they refused. One lay crushed beneath him, tattered sleeves soaking up the chilled sludge freely dripping from his stomach. The other lay limply out in the mud, fingers barely responding to his input.

He tried to move his head, to get his eye away from the same wet earth that seeped into his hair and between the exposed wiring of his throat. His vision faded more and more, he couldn't even tell if it were from the tears or if his eyes were finally failing for good...

“P...ples...” _I need to fix—fix I need to fix. I._

A violent shiver ran down his entire body as the cold soaked him all the way through.

“Pleas...e... jus...s-s-s... let m...”

His fingers no longer responded to him at all, only twitching weakly, infrequently.

“S-s-sso-o... c-cold... I...”

One by one, his remaining functions shut down until all he could do was look slowly around at the vague shapes around the cavern. But that too soon faded as his consciousness slipped from his grasp.

He was fading, everything was fading. Again. It was happening again.

_No..._

_Please._

_Someone._

_It's so cold._

_I..._

_I..._

 


End file.
